Also today, Africa Action releases a new set of talking points entitled, "Africa’s Debt & Iraq’s Debt - Washington’s Double Standard." This document notes the refusal of the World Bank and IMF to put Africa’s debt crisis at the top of their meeting agenda this week and strongly condemns the failure of the U.S. government to advocate for an urgent solution to Africa’s debt crisis, as it has been doing in the case of Iraq.

Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action said today, «This week, the U.S. and other rich countries who control the World Bank and IMF will again refuse to address Africa’s devastating debt burden. At the same time, however, the Bush Administration has been actively pursuing the cancellation of Iraq’s foreign debt. This reveals a blatant double standard in U.S. policy that should be rejected outright.»

The talking points note the terrible human toll of Africa’s $300 billion debt burden, and the illegitimate and odious nature of much of this debt. As African countries struggle to cope at ground-zero of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, they are forced to spend more money each year repaying old, illegitimate debts than they can spend on health care for their own people.

Africa Action notes that the current international debt relief framework, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative is widely acknowledged to have failed as a solution to the debt crisis. But the U.S. government, the largest shareholder at the World Bank and IMF, refuses to use its power to advocate for debt cancellation for Africa. Rather, since December, the White House has been aggressively pursuing the cancellation of Iraq’s foreign debts.

According to Booker, «There are strong reasons to consider canceling Iraq’s debts, but these arguments must also apply in the case of African countries. If Iraq’s debts are considered ’odious’, then much of African countries’ debts, also the product of corrupt and repressive leaders, must similarly be considered odious.»

He continued, «As the World Bank and IMF meet this week, the U.S. should use this opportunity to call for the cancellation of Africa’s debts. These institutions can afford to do this from their own resources, and this can be the only logical outcome of the Bush Administration’s policy on Iraq’s debt.»

Today’s "unhappy birthday party" will bring activists from around the country to Washington, DC to demand debt cancellation for poor countries and to deliver thousands of "unhappy birthday cards" on the World Bank and IMF’s 60th anniversary. Africa Action joins Jubilee USA Network and other sponsors in declaring, «It’s no Time for a Party! It’s time to Drop the Debt!»