WASHINGTON - THE International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it overstated external financing needs of some eastern European countries in a recent report, largely because of double-counting errors, and would publish corrected data soon.

At issue is a table the IMF included in its Global Financial Stability Report, which was released on April 21, showing many eastern European countries had large financing needs.

The IMF highlighted this as a concern because many eastern European countries are highly dependent on western European banks for financing, and the global financial crisis has disrupted the flow of credit.

The deteriorating financial condition of emerging Europe could exacerbate banking troubles in western Europe, the IMF said.

It was not immediately clear how large the IMF's revisions might be.

'We are in the process of correcting numbers ... regarding refinancing needs of countries listed in the table,' IMF spokesman Simonetta Nardin said in an e-mail to Reuters in response to a question about the figures. 'We expect to have the corrected numbers published soon.'

The table had appeared on page 10 of the financial stability report. A version of the report on the IMF's website on Wednesday showed a blank box and the words, 'Temporarily withdrawn - pending update and correction.' (http: www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/gfsr/2009/01/pdf/text.pdf)

The IMF said the corrections mostly involved double-counting errors, although in the case of the Czech Republic the figure initially published was the result of a typographical error.

'We regret these errors, and will review the IMF's internal procedures according to the lessons learned,' Ms Nardin said.

Last month, the IMF slashed its economic growth forecasts for many eastern European countries, citing the credit crisis, slumping demand and falling energy prices. -- THOMSON REUTERS