CAIRO, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The debt situation for poorcountries could worsen with volatile commodity prices and higherinterest rates, World Bank President David Malpass said onThursday.

More than half of the world's poorest countries are inexternal debt distress, Malpass said in a speech from theSudanese capital, Khartoum.

(Reporting by David Lawder and Aidan Lewis; Editing by AlisonWilliams) ((Aidan.Lewis@tr.com; +20-1001174410;))