RPT-Euro strength among several challenges -OECD chief

PARIS, March 17 (Reuters) - The strength of the euro is one among several competitive challenges, OECD chief Angel Gurria said on Monday, in a speech on the need for structural economic reform.

"The strength of the euro is just one more competitive challenge, as is the turbulence that we are presently experiencing in financial markets," Gurria said.

He was reading from a prepared speech at a one-day conference on economic reform organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund.

He and IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn were due to hold a news conference at 1030 GMT. (Reporting by Francois Murphy and Brian Love)