IMF Chief Strauss-Kahn Attempts to Ease Greece Fears

Strauss-Kahn was speaking after the agency's main ministerial steering committee met in Washington. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, says the Greek people should not fear the IMF.

He was responding to a Greek journalist who said Greeks are demonizing the IMF and fear the country's economic crisis will be worse with its involvement.

He replied that the IMF was there to help Greece, but deflected questions about negotiations with its government.

On Friday, Greece asked for an EU-IMF bailout of its debt-ridden economy, the BBC reported.

Strauss-Kahn was speaking after the agency's main ministerial steering committee met in Washington.

Strauss-Kahn added that the Greek people should think of the IMF as a "cooperative organization" where the countries of the world work together to help those in trouble by providing resources and advice on behalf of the international community.

"Greek citizens should not fear the IMF…We are there to try to help them." he concluded.