Paris
21 October 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Tuesday for heads of states to begin preparing for a series of economic summits to revamp the world economic system. From Paris, Lisa Bryant reports on the president's remarks before the European Parliament.
President Nicolas Sarkozy told European lawmakers in the French city, Strasbourg, he would propose a meeting with EU leaders to prepare for a series of summits on the financial crisis which President George Bush also agreed upon during a meeting last weekend in Camp David. The French president says the simplest idea would be to convene summits between industrialized nations along with rising heavyweights India and China.
He says he will push for this proposal during a trip to Beijing this week.
Mr. Sarkozy also outlined some of his ideas for reshaping the financial sector. Under his plan, no bank accepting state money would be allowed to work with tax havens. And, he says no financial institutions should be allowed to work without being covered by financial regulations.
Mr. Sarkozy's remarks come as stock markets registered gains Tuesday, buoyed by various government efforts to shore up banks and lower interbank lending rates. The French government has announced it will inject $14 billion into the country's six largest banks by the year's end to boost liquidity.
Mr. Sarkozy also lauded Europe's role in finding a solution to the Georgia-Russia crisis. He says it was Europe which had brought about peace and dialogue and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia.