BERLIN (MNI) – The German government has not yet decided which
candidate it will endorse to take the helm of the International Monetary
Fund, a German government spokesman said Monday.

“The government has not yet made a decision which candidate it will
support,” spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a regular government press
conference here. “There are talks on all levels going on,” he added.

German weekly Der Spiegel reported over the weekend that German
Chancellor Angela Merkel had already told Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude
Juncker last Thursday she would support French Finance Minister
Christine Lagarde for the top job at the IMF.

Germany Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told German weekly Bild
am Sonntag over the weekend that “with Christine Lagarde…Europe would
have the best chance of occupying this position again.” Lagarde is
“excellently qualified” for the job, he added.

–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com

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