AlHijjah 23, 1432, Nov 19, 2011, SPA -- The European Central Bank will help euro zone states with ailing finances only as long as it does not jeopardise the bank's main inflation-fighting goal, Reuters quoted ECB Governing Council member Jens Weidmann as saying. In an interview with German broadcaster Deutschlandradio Kultur, Weidmann rejected calls by states such as France for the ECB to intervene more forcefully to halt the euro zone's accelerating debt crisis. "The duty of the euro system is to secure monetary stability," said Weidmann, who also heads the German Bundesbank. "As long as this is secured, we can support those responsible for financial stability -- and we are doing that." "What is being asked of us now is to extend our mandate beyond what is set in the EU treaties," he said. "And I don't think that the euro zone can gain confidence if the central bank oversteps its mandate or breaches EU treaties." -- SPA
