Washington is ready to help Egypt in its attempt to obtain a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Egyptian state television reported Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi as saying.

"The U.S. Secretary of the Treasury has signalled his readiness to aid Egypt's economy," Beblawi said.

The IMF said on Thursday that it will not hold talks with Egypt about a possible loan until the interim government is internationally recognized.

"It's a case of the international community ... its institutions, its nations, coming together and recognizing a particular government," IMF deputy spokesman William Murray said.

"Until that happens, and until our members make a decision on the Egyptian government, we're going to keep our context technical (at the technical level)," he added.