MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti) - Financial assistance must be provided to the world's poorest countries to fight the spread of bird flu, finance ministers of the Group of Eight club of rich nations said in a joint statement after their meeting in Moscow Saturday.
It is crucial for donor efforts to be coordinated and harmonized, the ministers said in a communique after the meeting.
In their statement, the ministers highlighted the risk of a bird flu pandemic and its possible economic and financial consequences.
The ministers hailed the efforts conducted through advanced purchase commitments for the bird flu vaccine, saying they expected specific proposals on their implementation at their next meeting in April 2006.
Russia currently holds the rotating presidency of the G8, which includes the United States, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Canada, and Italy; the European Union has a limited status.
Along with the finance ministers of the G8 nations, International Monetary Fund Director Rodrigo Rato, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, the finance minister of Austria (which currently holds the EU Council presidency) Karl-Heinz Grasser, and European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Joaquin Almunia, will attend the meeting.
