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IMF and World Bank pull staff out of Iraq
United Nations, Aug 21: The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have pulled their staff out of Iraq after the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad where their offices were located.
United Nations, Aug 21: The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have pulled their staff out of Iraq after the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad where their offices were located.
Officials at the Washington headquarters of the two organizations yesterday confirmed the evacuation, reported by a US official at the United Nations.
World Bank spokesman Damian Milverton said the bank has ``suspended operations in Iraq, given the security situation'' and was moving 14 staff members to Amman, Jordan, including two with injuries. He said one bank employee remained unaccounted for.
IMF spokesman David Hawley said four of the five IMF staffers at the UN building at the time of the explosion had been taken to Amman, Jordan after being treated for minor injuries. ``The fifth staff member and a security consultant working for the fund are in good care and receiving treatment in hospitals'' in Baghdad, Hawley said.
The IMF and the World Bank are key players in efforts by the US-led coalition now running Iraq to rebuild the country's devastated economy. Both institutions are expected to provide billions of dollars in loans to help restart the country's banking system and get the economy functioning again, and had sent assessment teams to Iraq to start the process.
``This does not signal an end to our involvement with Iraq,'' said the World Bank's Milverton. ``We will continue to assess Iraq's reconstruction needs from offices outside Iraq for the moment.''
Bureau Report
Officials at the Washington headquarters of the two organizations yesterday confirmed the evacuation, reported by a US official at the United Nations.
World Bank spokesman Damian Milverton said the bank has ``suspended operations in Iraq, given the security situation'' and was moving 14 staff members to Amman, Jordan, including two with injuries. He said one bank employee remained unaccounted for.
IMF spokesman David Hawley said four of the five IMF staffers at the UN building at the time of the explosion had been taken to Amman, Jordan after being treated for minor injuries. ``The fifth staff member and a security consultant working for the fund are in good care and receiving treatment in hospitals'' in Baghdad, Hawley said.
The IMF and the World Bank are key players in efforts by the US-led coalition now running Iraq to rebuild the country's devastated economy. Both institutions are expected to provide billions of dollars in loans to help restart the country's banking system and get the economy functioning again, and had sent assessment teams to Iraq to start the process.
``This does not signal an end to our involvement with Iraq,'' said the World Bank's Milverton. ``We will continue to assess Iraq's reconstruction needs from offices outside Iraq for the moment.''
Bureau Report