<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Washington plans another "push" Thursday for creditors to grant relief and restructure debts of poor and developing countries, according to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"At this summit, the United States will continue to push for the full and&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">speedy participation of all bilateral creditors in debt negotiations," Yellen&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">said, in remarks prepared for a news conference in Paris.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"A key pillar of economic stability is debt sustainability," said Yellen,&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">adding, "the international community must come together to support countries&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">that are currently in crisis."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The remarks were ahead of a summit organized by French President Emmanuel&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Macron aimed at building a "new consensus" among nations that combines&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">tackling poverty with confronting climate change.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">China, a major global creditor, has come under scrutiny for its lack of&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">participation in multilateral efforts to ease the debt burden on developing</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">countries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Yellen remarked that she was "encouraged" by progress on Zambia, saying she&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">hoped debt treatment for the African country "can move forward soon."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She also highlighted Ghana and Sri Lanka as countries that should receive</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"timely debt treatment in line with their financing assurances."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema on Wednesday expressed confidence his&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">government will secure a debt restructuring plan at the Paris gathering.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yellen also said she would continue to seek support for an "evolution&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">initiative" for the World Bank to steer additional resources to combatting&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">climate change.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The World Bank should "develop a framework and principles for the targeted</div><div style="text-align: justify;">use of concessional resources -- so that financing to address global&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">challenges is deployed to where it has the highest impact," she said.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We would also like to see the World Bank offer borrowers the option to add</div><div style="text-align: justify;">climate-resilient debt clauses to their loan agreements."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A hundred countries are expected at the two-day gathering on Thursday,</div><div style="text-align: justify;">including 50 heads of state.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I can feel it as I receive confirmation of participation and messages from</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">our partners," Macron tweeted Wednesday. "We can make a huge difference for&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">the plant and against poverty." AFP</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>