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IMF warns Europe not to ease up debt battle

WASHINGTON – An infusion of hundreds of billions of dollars will give the International Monetary Fund a badly needed boost to tackle Europe's prolonged debt crisis. But global finance officials sent a strong message Saturday that struggling governments must speed reforms or risk spooking jittery markets and raising the economic danger.

The lending agency said in a statement after its weekend meetings that financially-strapped European countries must put in place bold changes to resolve their debt problems. The IMF received $430 billion in pledges from individual countries, nearly doubling the agency's reserves available for loans to almost $1 trillion.

"It is nice to have a big umbrella," Managing Director Christine Lagarde said at a news conference. She and other officials said the new money should reassure financial markets troubled recently by the prospect that Spain could come next to the IMF for emergency loans to escape a default.

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