Chile peso hits 19-mo high on copper and weak dlr

* Chile peso strengthens 0.78 pct on copper and weak dlr

* Chile peso has gained 3.58 pct so far in January

SANTIAGO Jan 11 (Reuters) - Chile's peso CLP= closed 0.78 percent higher, hitting 19-month highs, on Monday on wider dollar weakness and higher copper prices, traders said.

The peso rose to 489.50/490.00 per dollar, compared with Friday's close of 493.30/493.80.

Chile's peso has appreciated sharply in recent months, prompting Central Bank President Jose De Gregorio warned again not to expect bank intervention to tame the currency rally in the world's top copper producer.

De Gregorio warned in an interview published on Sunday that "addiction" to intervention was dangerous. He said Chile's flexible exchange rate has helped the country cope with the global financial crisis and any attempt to fix it would also be "extremely dangerous."

"The dollar is weakening against other major currencies abroad. Add to that higher copper prices and positive global bourses. In other words all the fundamentals favor peso appreciation," said one local trader.

Earlier in the day, copper climbed almost 3 percent due to fund buying and a surge in Chinese import data.

The peso rose more than 26 percent against the dollar in 2009 on dollar weakness, the closing out of carry trades and a sharp rise in prices for copper, Chile's main export.

The peso, which fell 22.3 percent in 2008, has climbed 3.58 percent so far in January. (Reporting by Carlos Romero and Maria Jose Latorre; editing by Alonso Soto and Jeffrey Benkoe)