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April 5, 2008

G8 Donors Meet in Japan
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1BC8579:A6F02AD83191E1600C170763B53E1DA22A201403E89ED254& Japanese Foreign
Minister says he is determined to reverse Japan's downward trend of
giving





Representatives participating in the G-8 Development Ministers'
Meeting pose for a group photo in Tokyo, Japan, 5 Apr 2008Development
ministers from industrial and fast-growing nations opened talks in
Tokyo Saturday on ways to maintain foreign aid to Africa and
impoverished countries elsewhere.

The two-day meeting kicked off a day after the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development said Friday that most donors need
to increase efforts to meet their stated aid commitments.

In opening remarks to the Group of Eight development ministers,
Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said he was determined to
reverse Japan's downward trend of giving, saying foreign aid decreased
about 30 percent in 2007 from the year before.

The meeting is being held ahead of the G8 summit in July.  The
organization groups Britain, Italy, Canada, the United States, France
Russia, Germany and Japan.

Officials from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico,
South Korea and South Africa are attending the meeting as emerging
donors.

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