April 25, 2007	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 07, 1428

SOFIA, April 24: Bulgaria has paid back all its outstanding debt to the IMF early in a move to make the emerging economy less vulnerable to external risks, the finance ministry said on Tuesday.

The European Union newcomer, whose two-year programme with the Fund expired at the end of March, said it had paid 204.8 million of special drawing rights (SDR) or $312 million. Sofia had retired almost $405.6m in debt to its main economic mentor in two operations at the end of 2005 and early 2006.—Reuters