The holder of the IMF says that "he is disappointed" with the country

Köhler affirmed that the Government does not have hardship to reconstruct the financial system

WASHINGTON. - First it said that the postponement of the solution of the Argentine crisis irritated it. Now, the holder of the International Monetary Fund (the IMF), Horst Köhler, maintained that "he is surprised and he disappointed" because "the Argentineans do not have hardship" to discuss with the financial organism the reconstruction of the banking system.

To hours of the arrival of Lavagna to Washington, where from today it will look for to loosen the negotiations with the Bottom on the monetary program and to speed up for an agreement, the expressions of Köhler confirm the climate of skepticism that there is in the organism on the march of the discussions and the tension with which the predicted encounter will be developed.

"the Argentineans obvious do not have hardship to talk with us on the reconstruction of the sector bancario´´, said Köhler in an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, that is published in the today edition.

That situation "surprised to me and I am disappointed '", indicated to the managing director of the IMF, talking about to the results of the technical mission that John headed Thornton until the last week in Buenos Aires. At the beginning of month, Köhler was outstanding that the lack of resolution of the Argentine crisis irritated it. And in public, whenever it is asked to him on the Argentine situation, it does not let transmit that sensation of annoyance.

Lavagna has predicted for today encounter with the managing director of the Bottom, Anne Krueger, with director the designated for the Western Hemishpere and main negotiator for Argentina, Anoop Singh, and with the technical staff. Also one will meet with the secretary of the Treasure, Paul O´Neill. But until last hour of an encounter with Köhler, still pending was not confirmed yesterday in the IMF of resolution. Sources of the organism, nevertheless, did not discard the possibility that the minister sees it the holder of the Bottom before returning tomorrow to Buenos Aires.

The position of the members of the equipment of the organism is of skepticism and downheart on the march of the discussions, because they consider that the Government did not advance the sufficient thing in the central points of discussion, as is the monetary policy and the exit of the corralito. That question will return to be to the top in the agenda of discussion of between Lavagna, Thornton, Singh and Krueger.

The following step in the discussions would be the shipment of a negotiating mission to Buenos Aires to close the details in the agreement and to write up the letter of intent of economic policy, that must approve the directory of the organism. But for that the way would have to be cleared, it said to the NATION a source of the Bottom, and "that - I emphasize ' - does not seem to be what it is happening with Argentina".

In Canada, the president of the Spanish government, Jose Maria Aznar, who exerts the presidency of turn of the European Union, requested yesterday in the summit of the Group of the Eight that becomes special mention to the Argentine crisis and the situation of Brazil. Last night, Aznar said to them to its colleagues who Argentina "has committed errors but they are being mended, and at this moment the conditions of the IMF are being fulfilled", according to revealed a source near the negotiations.

There same, a civil employee of high rank of the White House maintained that the economy of Brazil is strong and heals. "the economic foundations remain strong; the political uncertainties are political uncertainties, but the economic foundations continue being strong ", said the American civil employee, that it emphasized that the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso has not requested additional financial attendance to the IMF.

In that same line, the IMF praised the handling of the economic policy that has made Brazil. "the commitment of the Brazilian authorities with solid economic and monetary policies is impressive", expressed yesterday in an official notice the director of External Relations of the Bottom, Thomas Dawson. "Its file in the last years in front of some hard tests of the market has been excellent", added.

The spokesman of the Bottom said that the organism gives the welcome to the ample support in Brazil to maintain "responsible economic policies" in the months previous to the presidential election of October, in that, according to the surveys, would prevail the candidate of left Inacio Lula Da Silva. "the IMF wishes to work with any new government it jeopardize with the implementation of solid policies", maintained Dawson on a hypothetical triumph of Lula.