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G8 Finance Ministers Meet in London to Discuss Debt Relief
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(http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=DD399B:3919ACA

Group of Eight finance ministers will try to settle differences over
debt relief before summit next month in Scotland







Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, gestures as he holds
informal press conference with President of European Parliament Josep
Borrell, FridayTop finance officials of the Group of Eight
industrialized nations meet Friday in London in an effort to work out
an agreement on debt relief for the world's poorest countries.

The finance ministers will try to settle differences over the issue
before a G8 summit next month in Scotland.

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said earlier this
week after meeting in Washington that they were close to completing a
proposal to cancel all debt for the world's poorest countries.

The New York Times Friday quotes an unidentified senior official in
Washington as saying an agreement has been reached. The report says
the plan would free 18 mostly African countries from their entire debt
obligation.

However, other G8 countries are sharply divided on how to finance debt
relief.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.




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