Lagarde assures Morsi IMF ready to help Egypt

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde called Egyptian President-elect Mohamed Mursi to discuss how the international lending body can best help Egypt, a spokesperson for the IMF said on Friday.

"They discussed Egypt's economic situation and how best the IMF could help in the period ahead. The MD reiterated that the IMF stands ready to support Egypt and looks forward to working closely with the authorities," the spokesperson said.

However, no timetable has been set for an IMF staff visit to Egypt to discuss a $3.2 billion IMF loan. That "will depend on the formation of the government," the spokesperson said.

Lagarde and Mursi spoke by telephone on Thursday. Mursi is due to be sworn into office on Saturday.