Indian rupee falls as importers buy dlrs, stks help

MUMBAI, July 7 (Reuters) - The Indian rupee weakened on Monday on dollar demand from importers after the U.S. unit gained against other currencies, but a rise in local stocks helped curb losses, traders said.

* At 2:30 p.m., the partially convertible rupee <INR=IN> was at 43.2600/2650 per dollar, compared with Friday's close of 43.15/16. It had hit a 15-month low of 43.50 last week.

* The dollar edged up to a one-week high versus a basket of major currencies on Monday, cheered by speculation that comments from G8 officials could push oil prices further away from last week's record highs. See [ID:nL07677725]

* Oil CLc1, India's biggest import, was trading a little above $143 a barrel. It hit a record $145.85 on Thursday.[O/R].

* India's main share index was up 1.8 percent as political uncertainty eased but high oil prices and inflation remained a risk to the recovery. See [.BO] (Reporting by Swati Bhat; Editing by Ramya Venugopal)