CIA Director Leon Panetta says Argentina, Ecuador and Venezuela are in dire economic straits and could be destabilized by the worldwide economic crisis.

Panetta told reporters Wednesday that the spy agency has to pay attention to the impact of the recession around the world.

In his first on-the-record meeting with the news media, Panetta said the CIA has to know how the economy is affecting the international policies of China, Russia and other countries.

The new CIA chief says that the spy agency has issued its first daily Economic Intelligence Briefing on overseas economic and political matters for the Obama administration.