Britain says no formal EU deal on IMF candidate

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday the European Union had taken no formal decision to nominate a candidate to head the International Monetary Fund after EU president Portugal said ministers had backed former French Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

"There was a breakfast meeting and this focused on the process ... It wasn't a formal agreement," a British spokesman told reporters.

He said Chancellor Alistair Darling had said Strauss-Kahn was a credible candidate, but Britain wanted "an open and transparent process" for appointing the next IMF chief.

He declined to say whether London would be ready to back another candidate than Strauss-Kahn, saying he did not want to answer hypothetical questions.