IMF chief to visit Tunisia, Saudi Arabia

(WASHINGTON) - International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde will travel to Tunisia and Saudi Arabia next week after the European Union summit in Brussels, the IMF said Thursday.

Lagarde is to visit Tunis on February 1-2 to meet with top officials as the country struggles to get its economy in gear a year after the north African country's popular revolt sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.

The new prime minister, Hamadi Jebali, has not formally requested any assistance from the IMF, but he said earlier this week that continued political turmoil is sapping the economy.

Lagarde will head to Saudi Arabia on February 3-4.

The oil giant is a member of the G-20 group of leading economies under pressure to boost their contributions to the IMF's resources for crisis intervention.

The Fund says it wants to raise another $500 billion, on top of the nearly $390 billion it has available now, to help countries in financial straits.