1.   Islamabad and the fund finally resolved their differences last month and resumed a standby agreement which was suspended in June.

2.   A one-year standby agreement between Nigeria and the IMF expired last October, and an informal monitoring arrangement has been in place since then.

3.   An International Monetary Fund mission began negotiations Tuesday with the caretaker government on developing a new standby agreement and introducing a currency board.

4.   Bulgaria desperately needs the money a fourth standby agreement with the IMF would bring to help it meet its debt service obligations this year.

5.   But Ercel added that a standby agreement was not essential for the purpose.

6.   On the IMF standby agreement for South Korea, the statement said it would bring a fundamental change to the banking sector with bank closures and widespread restructuring.

7.   The IMF has suspended four previous standby agreements with Bulgaria after partial loan disbursements because the country failed to meet all its commitments.

8.   The measures include a currency board and a new standby agreement.

9.   The IMF said Thursday it planned to approve a new standby agreement with Turkey in February.

10.   The statement said Mexico wanted a standby agreement with the IMF in the event greater resources are needed.