Activist arrested near IMF-World Bank meetings

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A protester was arrested on a warm Saturday morning during a brief clash with police on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank semi-annual meetings, according to Reuters witnesses.

The skirmish took place near George Washington University, a few blocks from where finance ministers and other officials were meeting to address the global recession.

Police dispensed pepper spray into the crowd of about 100 protesters during a skirmish that lasted only a few minutes, a witness said.

Global Justice Action, a local activist group, is organizing events throughout the weekend to protest the global handling of the economic crisis.

Finance ministers and other officials were gathered in Washington for the semi-annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank, institutions set up after World War Two to provide stability to the world economy.

(Reporting by Nancy Waitz)