MUNICH (AFX) - Ifo chief economist Gernot Nerb said he currently sees no statistical sign that the US attacks have significantly hurt business sentiment in Germany. In an interview with Agence France-Presse shortly after the release of the Ifo business climate index for August, Nerb said he cannot rule out the attacks having more effect as time goes on. "But up until now, looking at things purely statistically there is no proof of that." "We have separated the reports from before and after Sept 11 and there is no indication that sentiment has been considerably worsened by the attacks," he said. Ifo said yesterday some 25 pct of responses to the survey came after the attacks on Sept 11. Nerb said businesses in Germany seem to be looking at their own markets and deciding that they are less directly affected by the events in the US. He added today's business climate figures, which fell only slightly from July, showed a turning point could have been reached, after several months of heavy falls earlier this year.