Asian countries, European (countries) and the United States -- must try to cooperate closely and to make clear there must be no overshooting." Some, including Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders pointed out that the strong euro shielded the euro zone from increases in the price of commodities denominated in dollars. "It may be useful to have sometimes a strong euro, (as) it is possible to resist some external shocks, like the shock of oil prices," he said. But ministers were on the whole more inclined to fret about the damage to their exports than to look for any silver lining. French Finance Minister Herve Gaymard, attending his first euro zone meeting since taking over from the outspoken Nicolas Sarkozy a week ago, called for a halt to the dollar's fall even before arriving in Brussels. Greek Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis also told Reuters the euro's rise was unhelpful for European exporters.
