BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday urged Argentina to settle its debt owed to Paris Club creditor nations.

    "We have to find a solution because the existence of this foreign debt makes it impossible for Argentina to benefit from all kinds of export credits," IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said before meeting President Cristina Fernandez.

    Clearing up its debts with the Paris Club will encourage an expanded flow of investment to the South American country, he said.

    Argentina owned a six-year-old default with the Paris Club of some 6 billion U.S. dollars.

    Strauss-Kahn said after the talks that he hoped Argentina should negotiate the issue with the Paris Club without IMF involvement.

    "The best solution is to pursue a process that does not involve the International Monetary Fund," he said.

    Fernandez's predecessor, her husband Nestor Kirchner, renegotiated a 100-billion-dollar debt default with creditors and paid off billions of U.S. dollars owed to the IMF.

    Kirchner transferred power to his wife on Monday.