70 Countries Identified As Possible Recipients of New US Aid

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

http://allafrica.com/stories/200407270839.html

>snip
The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has identified 70 countries from which it will select those that may apply for funding from its supplemental foreign aid account in the fiscal year beginning October 1 (FY05).

The MCC board will subsequently determine which of these "candidate countries" will be eligible to apply for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) funding based on their relative performance in ruling justly, encouraging economic growth and investing in programs that directly help their people, according to a press release issued after the MCC's quarterly meeting July 20.

"We want a growth return on U.S. taxpayers dollars," said John Applegarth, MCC chief executive officer, during a July 27 public forum.

Applegarth said each eligible country's proposal to the MCC should include an explanation of how the country decided on the development priorities for which it seeks MCA funding. The MCC wants the content of proposals to clearly include input from civil society and business sectors and not just reflect the decisions of a small number of government officials, he said.
>snip

[thecrow]

1. Corporation? Growth Return??

Sounds like our government is really going corporate???

Edit for link to more information:
http://usembassy.state.gov/mumbai/wwwhwashnews1792.html

[mom cat]

2. On the basis of the "alleged" criterion, the US would not rank very

peoples' movements, the willingness to absolve the US for war crimes and the possibility that there might be a few barrels of oil in their country, or at least a corridor for a pipeline.

[daleo]

3. List of the 70 countries.

The countries are Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, China, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia.

Just a hunch, but those that helped in the Iran invasion will probably get special consideration. They don't say how much money is actually at stake.