White House's Summers ducks Goldman question

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers refused to say on Tuesday whether he considered it a favorable development that Goldman Sachs Group Inc intends to quickly pay back bailout funds it received from the government.

"I'm not going to get into a situation of any particular company," Summers said in an interview on CNBC television. "I will just say this: the assistance the government provided was intended as temporary. It's our objective to have a private sector-based system."

Analysts have noted that a quick repayment by Goldman could foster a public perception of a two-tier U.S. banking system divided by strong banks and those seen as reliant on government handouts.

Summers said in the long run the Obama administration clearly wants to see a banking sector that does not need government help. But he declined to judge whatever decisions the Treasury Department may make about the relative health of Goldman and other banks that received money under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville; Editing by Dan Grebler)