WASHINGTON —  The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it expects only a limited impact on the global economy from terrorist attacks on U.S. soil on Tuesday and that it stands ready to help countries that may need help. 

``Our present assessment is that, despite the scale of the human tragedy, these terrible events will have only a limited impact on the international economy and global financial system,'' IMF Managing Director Horst Koehler said, referring to attacks on Tuesday that saw hijacked planes crash into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon near Washington. 

``I have been in touch with a number of key monetary authorities around the world, and they are taking action to ensure the orderly functioning of financial markets,'' he said. 

``We can take encouragement from the fact that the monetary institutions and systems are working well, which demonstrates a fundamentally resilient international financial system.'' 

The head of the IMF added that the lender is following economic developments closely and, ``stands ready to assist its member countries as appropriate.''