Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in an interview with the Welt am Sonntagweekly said once again that he expects German growth to range between 2.6%and 2.8% this year, even though some economic research institutes and topeconomists have cut their growth forecasts. He was quoted as saying the"economic upswing rests on a solid base" and cited a survey by the GermanChambers of Industry and Trade as the reason for his positive outlook.Meanwhile, Finance Minister Hans Eichel said in an interview with DerSpiegel that it is too early to consider revising down the official forecast of 2.75%. He also said he wasn't overly worried by the US slowdown and did not expect Japan to pose further downward risks to the world economy, though he is concerned about the Japanese economy.