PARIS (AFX) - French Finance Minister Laurent Fabius said he hopes the European Central Bank will make additional interest rate cuts in order to support the slowing economy, while dismissing worries about euro zone inflationary pressures. "I hope there will be further rate action, if necessary. It would be important in terms of confidence and a feeling that we are reacting to the situation," Fabius said in an interview with the International Herald Tribune. "I think the EU would like to be proactive." Fabius added that "I don't see a case for inflation when you have this climate in which oil prices are falling and business competition is intense." Fabius also said the 1997 Growth and Stability Pact should not be modified, since governments would risk losing credibility in exchange for short-term gains. "If there is a feeling we are suddenly changing the rules, it will have a negative impact on our economies, particularly long-term interest rates," he said, adding that monetary stimulus is often more efficient that increased budget spending. Fabius also said that as part of the international efforts to halt the financing of terrorist operations, the French government has frozen 4 mln usd of assets held by the Afghan Export Promotion Bank in France.