IMF In Limbo After Strauss-Kahn Arrest

The arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on attempted rape charges in New York has put a huge wrench in the continued negotiations concerning the European debt crisis. Strauss-Kahn, who has been temporarily replaced by John Lipsky, had played a pivotal role in coordinating the emergency bailouts of Greece, Ireland, and Portugal, and was unable to hold an important meeting Sunday addressing Europe’s debt problems with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as meetings with European finance ministers on Monday and Tuesday. At the meeting in Brussels on Monday, Strauss-Kahn was expected to urge European governments to commit more bailout money to Greece to tide the country over for 2012 and 2013, according to European officials.