Strauss-Kahn 'not in position to run' IMF: US

Jailed IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is not in a position to run the International Monetary Fund, said Timothy Geithner, US Treasury Secretary.

Kahn, who is under pressure to quit as the head of IMF, has been put on suicide watch in the New York city's infamous Rikers Island prison.

Although, John Lipsky, second-in-command at the IMF, has taken over Dominique position as IMF chief, Geithner called on the IMF's executive board to appoint a head as Lipsky is due to leave later this year.

The most important thing for the IMF was that it found a leader to fill Strauss-Kahn's shoes, Geithner said, addressing the Harvard Club in New York on Tuesday. It is important for the board to put in place someone for managing director for short-term period, he added.

If the evidence is what it appears to be, I think it would be very difficult for him to manage as IMF head, John Kerry, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman said.

We have not had contact with the managing director since his arrest in New York, said an IMF spokesman.

We retain full confidence in the IMF and its continued capacity to fulfill its obligations, to fulfill its role in the global economy during this difficult period, Jay Carney, White House press secretary said. Washington has largest number of votes in the organization, so it has a major say in determining who runs the IMF.