MEXICO CITY - MEXICO said Tuesday it would press the candidacy of its central banker Agustin Carstens for the post of IMF chief as it won the endorsement of Spain, but said the outlook for the key finance post remains uncertain.

Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa appeared at a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart Trinidad Jimenez, who noted that the eurozone country will support Carstens based on earlier commitments with other Latin American countries.

Espinosa said she had spoken with the foreign ministers of Brazil, Australia, Thailand, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay, and hoped to talk soon with Japan.

The case of Carstens marks a major push for an emerging market chief of the International Monetary Fund after a long tradition of a European leader at the IMF, with a US national at the helm of the World Bank.

The moves come as the organization seeks to fill the managing director's post vacated by Dominique Strauss-Kahn after the Frenchman was arrested and charged with sexual assault in New York.

In Brazil, a source close to President Dilma Rousseff said Mexican President Felipe Calderon called Tuesday to support Carsten's candidacy. The source said Brazil would wait for the full picture before endorsing a candidate.

Spain shares a seat at the International Monetary Fund with Mexico, Venezuela and four smaller Central American nations, Finance Minister Elena Salgado noted earlier in Madrid.