Italy to consider debt relief for quake-hit countries

The Italian government is to consider debt
relief for the countries hit by devastating tidal waves in
South and East Asia.
Premier Silvio Berlusconi asked the Italian Economy
Ministry "to study the possibility of the cancellation of
aid credits" for quake-struck countries, according to a
statement released late Wednesday.
The statement from Berlusconi's office gave no indication
of which countries hold aid credits, or how much the
credits are worth.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has called for a debt
repayment moratorium for Indonesia and Somalia, two
countries hit by Sunday's quake-triggered tidal waves, and
said that he would propose the measure at an upcoming
meeting of the Paris Club of creditor countries. U.S.
President George W. Bush said from his Texas ranch that he
would examine the German proposal.