West German President Richard vonWeizsaecker called on creditor banks to ease pressure on
Argentina's foreign debt repayment terms.
    "We cannot remain indifferent to the pressure of creditor
banks, since there is correlation between political stability
and the economic situation," Weizsaecker told reporters.
    Argentina said last month it would suspend debt payments if
creditor banks did not loosen repayment terms and grant a new
2.15 billion dlr loan.
    Argentina's debt is Latin America's third largest at 51
billion dlrs.
    Weizsaecker, on a four-day official visit to Argentina,
said: "Argentina's problems require joint action from creditor
and debtors countries," and not prepared recipes from creditor
banks.
    A group of ecologists staged a demonstration to protest
Argentina's plans to build a fourth nuclear power plant and a
German company's role in the project as a contractor.
    Earlier, Weizsaecker said that the potential of Patagonia,
the barren tableland covering a third of Argentina, could
assure the economic future of the country.
 REUTER
