MINSK, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday he would not allow a devaluation of the Belarussian rouble and that central bank spending to support the currency was "small". Belarus is in the process of negotiating a $2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, some of which may go towards supporting central bank reserves, which fell 11 percent in September through dollar sales on the interbank market.
The official rate of the rouble on Tuesday was fixed at 2,151 per dollar, below a floor of 2,150 set in January but within a central bank band of 2,100-2,200/$.
"In terms of the rouble, we will withstand the situation. We have accumulated a specific level of reserves, and today we are not using a lot," Lukashenko was quoted by state media as saying in the northern town of Vitebsk.
He said Belarus would fulfil conditions set by the IMF, which is due to come back in December to continue talks on the loan. Authorities have said that the IMF had demanded a reduction in state spending as a condition for the loan.
The veteran president also said that the Belarussian economic model -- considerable control over economic activity rests in the state's hands -- has allowed the ex-Soviet state to escape sharp knocks from the global financial crisis. (Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky; Editing by Ron Askew)