A filing for insolvency of General Motors Corp.'s (GM) German Opel unit would be the "very last resort but we aren't there yet" as the government is still examining whether it might help Opel, deputy economics minister Dagmar Woehrl said Tuesday.

Speaking on German n-tv television, she said filing for insolvency is "no blemish."

"We have many companies which emerged strengthened and competitive from insolvency," said Woehrl. "But this is currently not the issue. We are presently still examining how we could help."

She said the government is waiting for answers to some questions, which it hopes will be answered in the next two or three weeks. These include "what is with the patents which have been transferred to the U.S. Treasury, (and) how can we ensure that the money, if we decided to give state aid, will remain with us," Woehrl said.

German Economic Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg will travel to the U.S. Sunday and meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and GM officials early next week.

GM Europe Chief Executive Carl-Peter Forster last week presented the company's restructuring plan for Opel to the government and said GM needs EUR3.3 billion in aid across its European operations.

Web sites: www.bundesregierung.de; www.gm.co

-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 (0)30 - 2888 410; andrea.thomas@dowjones.com