COLOMBO, Jan. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The Paris Club of creditor nationsprovided an unconditional freeze on debt repayments for Sri Lanka to help it recover from last month's Tsunami disaster, official Daily News said on Friday.

    Debt payments owed this year amount to 328 million US dollars for Sri Lanka, though some of those sums may be owed to private creditors, Club president Jean-Pierre Joyuet was cited as saying.

    "In this exceptional situation, creditors wished that the suspension not be submitted to any conditions, neither an accord with the International Monetary Fund, nor to comparable treatment by private creditors," Joyuet stressed.

    "It is an offer by the Paris Club that has not yet been formally accepted by the countries concerned: Sri Lanka, Indonesia,and The Seychelles," he added.

    The club currently groups Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain,Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Enditem