Argentine officials have described talks with the International Monetary Fund as positive, saying the meetings will set the framework for negotiations on resuming loan aid.

On Tuesday, Argentine presidential spokesman Eduardo Amadeo says the talks, will be lengthy due to the complicated nature of the country's financial crisis.

President Eduardo Duhalde,left and Jorge Remes Lenicov

His comments came after Argentine Economy Minister Jorge Remes Lenicov held talks in Washington with officials from the IMF and U.S. Treasury Department.

The meetings are aimed at restarting a dialogue with the IMF that was interrupted in December, when the institution suspended loan payments to Argentina.

The South American nation hopes to borrow as much as $25 billion from the international lending institution in an effort to rebuild its devastated economy.

As a condition for future aid, the IMF has said Argentina must come up with a workable recovery plan that should center on fiscal discipline. The United States has also expressed its willingness to support new financial assistance to Argentina, as long as Buenos Aires develops a plan for sustainable economic development.

Last week, the South American nation introduced a national budget that drastically reduced the cost of government. Officials also freely floated the Argentine peso, a move seen as a key element for obtaining IMF aid.

On its second day in the markets, the Argentine peso strengthened slightly to about two pesos to the dollar on Tuesday.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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