G7 finance chiefs vow to safeguard global recovery

Finance ministers and central bank chiefs of the leading industrialized countries vowed to preserve the tenuous global economic recovery, amid calls from International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde for bold action. Lagarde was attending the meeting in Marseille, France, of finance Chiefs from the United States, Canada Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Britain, who were also set to discuss the eurozone debt crisis and calls for recapitalization of European banks, according to a report of the German Press Agency 'DPA'. The start of the Group of Seven (G7) meeting was overshadowed by the announcement Friday that the top German official at the European Central Bank, chief economist Juergen Stark, would step down nearly three years before the end of his mandate. The G7 ministers vowed to make strong efforts to preserve financial stability, restore confidence and support economic growth. The Marseille talks continue Saturday with Russian officials joining, and come amid growing fears of another recession following disappointing second-quarter growth reports in the US, Germany, France and other leading economies. On Thursday, US President Barack Obama proposed to 'jolt' the lagging US economy and spur hiring with a 450-billion-dollar jobs package. Speaking Friday morning in London, Lagarde welcomed Obama's proposals and called for other countries to 'act now - and act boldly - to steer their economies through this dangerous new phase of the recovery.' She warned Britain that its deficit-reduction approach was'appropriate' but risky because it was premised on increased demand that is jeopardized by the subdued economic outlook.Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne defended the programme but agreed that 'policymakers must remain alert to risks.'