L. Joseph
Phone: (202) 473-7700
Fax: (202) 974-4384
E-mail: Ljoseph@ifc.org


WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 10—Mr. Assaad Jabre, Vice President, Portfolio Management and Advisory Operations of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) will lead a delegation to Vietnam from September 15 to 19, 1997. This is Mr. Jabre's first official visit to Vietnam.

The purpose of the visit is to consult with government and industry leaders on IFC's activities in Vietnam and on proposed new initiatives.

IFC has expanded its activities in Vietnam in the past three years. To date, the Corporation has approved investments in 18 projects with a total cost of US$1.3 billion. IFC is supporting these projects with debt and equity investments totaling US$468 million, including US$251.4 million of syndications with other financial institutions and US$217 million for IFC's own account. The project sectors range from agro-industry, cement, ceramics and the financial sector to glass manufacturing, ports, steel and tourism.

During his visit, Mr. Jabre will attend a meeting of the donors and advisory board of the Mekong Project Development Facility (MPDF) and visit MPDF offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. MPDF, a multi-donor funded operation managed by IFC, promotes the establishment and expansion of privately-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR.

Commenting on his visit, Mr. Jabre said, "I look forward to discussions with senior government officials on how IFC can best pursue its investment and advisory roles in Vietnam, thus demonstrating our commitment to assist in the development of its non- state sector."

Mr. Jabre will be accompanied by Mr. Javed Hamid, Director, Asia I Department; Ms. Khanh Nguyen, Manager; Mr. Kip Thompson, Principal Investment Officer; Mr. David Clark, Projects Officer, and Ms. Ludwina Joseph, Corporate Communications Officer. The delegation will be joined in Hanoi by Mr. Tom Davenport, Manager, MPDF.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest multilateral source of equity and loan financing for non-state sector projects in developing countries .