ECB's Nowotny "irritated" with Merkel's euro remarks

VIENNA Nov 23 (Reuters) - The euro is not in the serious situation German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described, European Central Bank policymaker Ewald Nowotny said on Tuesday, saying he was irritated with her comments.

Merkel said earlier on Tuesday that the euro was in an "exceptionally serious" situation.

"This irritates me," Nowotny, also head of Austria's central bank, told broadcaster ORF in a television interview.

"This is not differentiating between the euro as a currency and the problems of individual (eurozone) states...the euro is not in danger, individual states are in danger," he said.

He added that Portugal could not be compared economically to Ireland and Greece but that the volatile state of the markets meant there was a contagion risk.

"Therefore it is important to stabilise Ireland to eliminate contagion effects," he said. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall)