MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

IMF, World Bank assemblies cancelled

Last week's terrorist attacks in the United States have cancelled the joint assembly of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, possibly the world's most important financial gathering. The assembly was to take place in Washington at the end of the month.

Horst Koehler from IMF, and James Wolfensohn, WB, indicated in an official statement the decision was taken to express condolence and sympathy to all those families suffering from the horrific events of a week ago, and to help law enforcement full dedication to its extraordinary and immediate priorities.

The assembly convenes Economy Ministers and Central Bank presidents from 183 countries and in the occasion was expected to address the declining growth of the world economy, which after the terrorist bombings runs the risk of becoming a full recession.

Another event that is still uncertain whether it will take place is the G 7 meeting, where cabinet Ministers from the richest seven countries of the world were scheduled to discuss an agenda with recession as the main course. The meeting could finally take place in some place in Italy, "but nothing is certain", said financial sources in France and Italy.

Concern over possible anti globalisation protests as happened in Prague, Genoa, Stockholm, was also taken into consideration, although several active non government organisations had anticipated the cancelling of those marches, some of them with tragic consequences.

As far as the Doha, WTO round in Quatar, in the second week of November, no official change of schedule has been announced, so far.