It gives me great pleasure to represent the Government of the United States at ibis Paris Donors Conference. During my tellure in the Republic of Congo over the last 18 months 1 have seen first hand the dedication and hard work of aIl sectors of the Congolese government, under the leadership of President Denis Sassou N guesso, to help ensure that fiscal responsibiIity, transparency, and more inclusive governance become foundations of the government of the Republic of Congo. It is rewarding to know that a country has been able to make such good progress in such a relatively short fille. It bas been a careful process . . . step by step . . . commitment by commitment . . . measure by measure, with notable accomplishments to mark ifs course. Examples of these accomplishments include

Congo's engagement in improving the transparency of its oil sector, especially in carrying out audits of the sector and in publishing Production Sharing Agreements.

ln particular, 1 want to note the outreach of the Government of the Republic of the Congo to its circle of "friends and partners" -- of which the Government of the United States of America is an active and committed member. This outreach includes Dot only civil society but also national non-governmental and international organizations. Many non-governmental organizations have reported that they are encouraged by the progress made and urge the Congolese government to stay the course of continued reforme We hope that the international community will offer strong support to the Republic of the Congo as it undertakes aggressive measures to help change the lives of its people in this post-conflict periode

The international fin an cial institutions, in recognition of Congo' s broadly satisfactory performance un der its IMF Staff Monitored Program and commitment to economic reform, are supportive of Congo's negotiation of an lMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. We urge

both Congo and the international financial institutions to establish a credible plan to clear arrears to ensure that aIl of the institutions can re¬engage to support Congo as soon as possible. The United States of America stands ready to reward post-conflict nations that renew their commitment to reform by undertaking difficult economic reforms and improving governance.

We encourage the Republic of Congo to stay the course on the changes and improvements that have been made. As members of your "circle of friends," we want to remind YOD that the changes your government bas undertaken are part of a never-ending process and YOD are at the beginning of ibis process. What YOD have done 1 believe aIl here recognize and applaud -- prudent fiscal management, improved governance, political stabHity, and increased transparency, particularly in the oH sector.

Now is the time to capitalize on the progress YOD have made to date, so that the people of the Congo will be able to truly appreciate aIl that their rich nation bas to offer. Your success in combating poverty and addressing key sectors that are in need of immediate post conflict redress sncb as education, health, employment, as weIl as other human needs such as jobs, potable water, housing, and energy are critical to Congo's development and to the betterment of the lives of its people.

The Government of the United States compliments the Republic of the Congo for the progress ithas made and looks forward to continued progress on aIl political and economic fronts. Congratulations on a job weIl done.