Wednesday September 12 4:47 PM ET

IMF, World Bank May Cancel Meetings

WASHINGTON (AP) - Officials at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank said Wednesday they are considering cancellation of their annual meetings this month because of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Officials at the international lending institutions said no final decision had been made. The two were being urged to cancel the meetings or delay them because of heightened security worries after terrorists hijacked planes Tuesday and crashed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

District of Columbia Police Chief Charles Ramsey said Tuesday said late Tuesday that he would recommend canceling the meetings, and a spokesman for Mayor Anthony Williams said the mayor was exploring the possibility of a delay.

The Sept. 29-30 meetings already had been cut to just two days instead of a week because of mounting costs of providing security in the face of expected widespread demonstrations. The event was expected to draw tens of thousands of protesters, which would require intense security in the nation's capital. Local police had been hoping for help from other police forces, including the New York City Police Department.

World Bank and IMF officials said the views of local officials were being taken into account in the discussions.

IMF spokesman William Murray said Wednesday that no decision had been made, but talks were under way.

``The status of the annual meetings will be discussed in coming days in the wake of these horrific events,'' Murray said.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Kenneth Dam told reporters at a Treasury briefing on Wednesday that it was premature to talk about cancellation.

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On the Net: World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/

International Monetary Fund: http://www.imf.org/