IMF says ready to support Syria reconstruction when conditions allow

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund stands ready to assist Syria's reconstruction alongside the international community, but the situation on the ground remains fluid, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said on Thursday.

Kozack told a regular press briefing that the IMF has had no meaningful contact with Syrian authorities since an economic consultation in 2009.

"It's too early to make an economic assessment. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we stand ready to support the international community's efforts to assist serious reconstruction as needed and when conditions allow," Kozack said.

Less than two weeks after Syrian rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime and seized control of the capital Damascus, Kozack said that the emerging Syrian authorities face many difficulties after 13 years of civil war.

"The Syrian people have suffered for far too long. We hope that the country can now begin to address its deep humanitarian, social and economic challenges, and to begin the rehabilitation of the Syrian economy," Kozack said.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Mark Porter)

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