By Reuters

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund has received a document outlining Egypt’s proposed economic program, to be supported by IMF financing, and will schedule a mission to Cairo later in March, a Fund spokesman said on Thursday.

“We have now received a document that describes in broad terms their economic program,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters. “In coming days our staff will be studying that document and assess the policies, and … we expect to schedule a mission to Cairo in the second half of March,” he added.

Egypt has requested a $3.2 billion lending program from the IMF to help plug a widening budget and balance of payments deficit.