Search the Internet          Tips  Sites: Finance, Investment

Annual meetings of IMF, World Bank may be postponed

Officials at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are considering cancelling or postponing their annual meetings, scheduled for the end of the month in Washington, following Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Centre.

However, before making any final decision, the two organisations are awaiting final word from the US government, the official host of the meetings, Washington Post reported Thursday quoting sources.

The officials are citing the likely strain on the police if the meetings were held and, in particular, the burden imposed on the New York City police department, which was expected to send 1,000 officers to cope with the threatened 100,000 demonstrators who plan to protest against globalisation during the meetings.

"A delay is in the air," said one high-ranking official who attended a meeting Wednesday morning of the IMF's Executive Board.

District of Columbia police chief Charles H Ramseyt has said the meetings would pose "a high security risk".

However, the meeting is more likely to be postponed than cancelled, officials said.

Outright cancellation, said the official who attended the IMF meeting, might look "too much like capitulation" to terrorism "but I think the US authorities will not want to add further risk to the downtown Washington area so soon."

Tell us what you think of this report