Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde has announced that a cost-cutting measure will not be signed as quickly as planned.

Mr. Duhalde said Tuesday in Buenos Aires he had not yet reached an agreement with the 23 provincial governments on spending cuts that would make the country eligible for aid from the International Monetary Fund. The announcement drew isolated protests.

Meanwhile in some areas, small groups of people gathered around grocery stores pleading for food.

Argentina, which carries at least $141 billion of foreign debt, is in the midst of a financial crisis and is seeking some $23 billion in bailout funds from the IMF. Since the government devalued the peso in January, the portion of the nation's population living in poverty has risen to at least one-third.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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