Chancellor goes global with Africa plan

GORDON BROWN stepped up efforts to secure international backing for his African aid package as business leaders and G7 finance ministers met in London today.

Tight security surrounded the two-day gathering, which is being attended by world economists, bank governors and government ministers.

The Chancellor used the meeting - one of the biggest events in the financial calendar - to urge America and Japan to support his ambitious International Finance Facility (IFF).

Mr Brown has already secured the backing of the leading European nations for the scheme, which would provide $50bn a year to help the African continent.

But the US, Japan and Canada have yet to sign up amid doubts about the level of borrowing it would require.

Tony Blair also put pressure on the Americans to endorse the IFF when he met the new US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, in Downing Street today.

The Prime Minister has made Africa one of the key themes of Britain's presidencyof the G8 group of nations. Both he and Mr Brown argue that the money which could be raised through the IFF is needed urgently.

Extra police were drafted into central London to patrol roads around Westminster and dozens more have been put on standby in case of trouble.

Scotland Yard remains on the second highest alert level for a terrorist attack, although a spokeswoman said there was no intelligence of any threat to the summit.

Anti-terrorist officers are concerned that al Qaeda will attempt to strike in London in the run-up to the general election, as it did in Madrid before the elections in Spain last year.

There are also concerns around a G8 summit being held in Scotland this summer as part of the UK's presidency of the rich nations' group.

Mr Brown opened today's meeting with a call for action to ensure growth and stability in the world economy.

'We will look at how each continent can contribute to that,' he said. 'Europe by economic reform, the United States by tackling its deficits and Japan by financial sector change.'

Among the business leaders attending meetings in central London today are the chief executives of Vodafone, British Airways, Tesco and Standard Chartered. The delegations also include Alan Greenspan, the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, and Nelson Mandela.

A number of British government ministers and senior MPs are also attending the conference sessions. A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said police were not expecting any protests at the meeting. She said security would be tight but discreet and there were unlikely to be any road closures.