The outlook on the foreign currency sovereign credit rating on the Republic of Suriname was revised to positive from stable on May 29, 2002. The positive outlook on the foreign currency rating reflects Standard&Poor's view that stronger liquidity, helped by a new Euro 135 million loan extended by the government of the State of the Netherlands in August 2001, could lead to an improved creditworthiness if coupled with needed reform. The stable outlook on the local currency reflects the balance between the recent improvements in the monetary policies on the one hand, and the ongoing delays in consolidating the government's undocumented commercial bank debt on the other. The ratings on the Republic of Suriname are constrained by: A
