BALLADUR INSISTS ON MAINTENANCE OF LOUVRE ACCORDS
  French Finance Minister Edouard Balladur
  issued a firm call for the continued faithful application of
  the Louvre accords on currency stability by all major
  industrial countries.
      Balladur, responding to weekend remarks by U.S. Treasury
  Secretary James Baker that the U.S. Would take another look at
  the accords, said "I firmly desire a faithfull and firm
  adherence by all the major industrial countries to the Louvre
  accords -- in both their letter and spirit."
      On Sunday, Baker said last week's rise in short-term West
  German interest rates was not in keeping with the accords.
  
      The Louvre accords, agreed in Paris last February, called
  for stability among the major currencies after a prolonged
  dollar slide.
      The accords were reaffirmed by the Group of Seven Finance
  Ministers in Washington last month.
      But Baker said at the weekend that the West German rate
  rise was "not in keeping with the spirit of what we agreed to."
      "What I'm really saying is that they should not expect us to
  simply sit back here and accept increased tightening on their
  part on the assumption that somehow we are going to follow
  them," he added.
  

