NEW YORK (Standard & Poor's CreditWire) June 13, 2000--Standard & Poor's today assigned its single-'A-'minus long-term rating to Barbados' 10-year US$100 million bond. At the same time, Standard & Poor's affirmed its double-'A'-minus long-term and 'A-1'-plus short-term local currency sovereign credit ratings and its single-'A'-minus long-term and 'A-2' short-term foreign currency sovereign credit ratings. The outlook on the ratings is stable. A recent commentary article on Barbados is available on Ratings Direct, Standard & Poor's web-based credit analysis system, and on Standard & Poor's web site. To access the article, go to www.standardandpoors.com/ratings/sovereigns and select Commentary. Barbados' ratings reflect: -- Its tradition of prudent economic management, which has contributed to seven consecutive years of economic growth and resulted in a
