IMF's Georgieva says Gaza ceasefire must be maintained, peace would benefit region

WASHINGTON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday urged all parties to continue moving in the direction of a sustained lasting peace following a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it would benefit the entire region.

Georgieva, speaking during the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, said she was relieved when the recent ceasefire was reached for the sake of all the people affected by the two-year war in the Palestinian enclave.

She said lowered tensions would be good news for the economies of Egypt and Jordan, where the IMF has programs, and Lebanon and Syria, which have asked for help and support from the global lender.

"It is important because everybody concerned encourages this direction of sustaining a lasting peace, and yes, it would benefit the region," she said. "There will be a peace dividend for everybody."

Georgieva said the IMF was working with Lebanon, which had requested a loan program. "I hope we will be able to come up with a program," she said, without providing further details.

Syria has asked for IMF support to rebuild its central bank and other institutions, and an IMF team had already been in the region.

"So when there is peace, there is also this benefit that those who are there to support you, it is easier, more viable for this support to come," she said.

Lebanon's economy minister told Reuters this week that his country is daily contact with the IMF.

The country is struggling to emerge from a severe economic crisis following decades of profligate spending by ruling elites that sent the economy into a tailspin in late 2019, with depositors locked out of accounts as debt-laden banks shut down.