WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- Finance ministers from the world's major economies met Saturday in Washington, and pledged to redouble their efforts to speed world economic growth.
The Group of Seven -- the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada -- finance ministers meet regularly to set policy direction for the International Monetary Fund, in which they are the dominant shareholders, the Voice of America reported Saturday.
Russia's finance minister, Alexei Kudrin, who attended a portion of the meeting, said Russia has no intention of following the OPEC cartel in cutting oil production.
Canada's finance minister, Paul Goodale, said there is concern about the potentially destabilizing global impact of the large U.S. budget deficit. But he is encouraged by assurances from U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow that the U.S. deficit will come down.
During two days of meetings, world finance ministers are also discussing debt problems of the poorest countries.
The IMF and World Bank meetings conclude on Sunday. On Saturday, a few hundred anti-globalization protesters marched near the meeting site.
