Prime Minister Marek Belka voiced concern Thursday about the steady appreciation of Poland's currency, the zloty, against the dollar and the euro, saying it was "potentially quite worrying"

Prime Minister Marek Belka voiced concern Thursday about the steady appreciation of Poland's currency, the zloty, against the dollar and the euro, saying it was "potentially quite worrying." The zloty has firmed 17.3 percent against the dollar and 11.1 percent against the euro this year. Belka said he had asked for a meeting with the president of the Polish National Bank, Leszek Balcerowicz. "I think that this meeting should take place quickly, by mid-December. There's no time to lose," the Polish prime minister was quoted as saying by the news agency PAP. However, Economy Minister Jerzy Hausner stressed that the Polish currency was subject to market forces and therefore central bank intervention to weaken the zloty appeared unlikely. "Maneuvering room is limited. I don't foresee an intervention by the PNB" on the foreign exchange market, he said. Hausner had warned Monday that the strong zloty was beginning to pose a problem for Poland's export-driven economy. Poland, which joined the European Union on May 1, expects economic growth of more than five percent in 2004.