Group of 14 to become summit fixture

L'AQUILA, Italy, July 9 (UPI) -- Leaders of the Group of Eight and the Group of Five, plus Egypt, Thursday agreed to make the G14 a fixture of annual summits, such as the one in Italy.

The issue of permanently converting the G8 format into a larger organization had been expected because a number of leaders support the idea, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Italian officials have stressed the expanded list of participants of this year's G8 summit in the quake-hit city of L'Aquila. Thirty-nine countries and international organizations representing 90 percent of the world's economy, compared to 50 percent represented by G8 countries, ANSA reported.

G8 members are the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia. G5 countries are Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.