The International Monetary Fund said on Friday the increase in oil prices due to political protests in the Middle East and North Africa will most likely be temporary, an IMF spokesman said on Friday.

However, if prices continue to rise due to further supply disruptions the negative effects on global growth could become appreciable, the spokesman said in an email to Reuters.

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

International Monetary Fund Price