European officials must be more careful what they say in public about the euro and state loud and clear that they want a strong single European currency, German Finance Minister Hans Eichel said in comments quoted on Tuesday.
Asked about measures to strengthen the euro, Eichel told the Paris newspaper Le Figaro: "First of all a certain discipline should be observed as far as commentaries are concerned ... then it should be stated clearly that we want a strong euro."
European Central Bank president Wim Duisenberg has come under fire for his past comments on the euro.
Francois Loncle, the Socialist chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the French National Assembly, earlier this month demanded Duisenberg's resignation, following comments which were seen as having affected the currency.
"As soon as he opens his mouth, the euro plunges," Loncle said.
However in his Figaro interview, Eichel said recent criticism of the ECB was unfair.
In New Tork just before Christmas, the euro climbed back above the 0.92 dollar threshold for the first time since August 1, gaining more than 12 percent since October 26 when it bottomed out at 0.8230 dollars, its lowest ever since its January 1999 launch.
Asked about a slowing of growth in the United States, the German minister said: "This will be a fundamental global change and therefore a major basis for change in the euro-dollar exchange rate" -- PARIS (AFP)
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