G8's shrinking world

Bill Clinton bonds with British pop group All Saints at the G8 conference

World leaders have wound up the G8 summit predicting closer ties in all aspects of life from fighting crime to economic growth.

Measures to reduce the debts of developing nations and pollution were also agreed at the summit.

In his final G8 statement the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, pledged "interim relief" to help struggling countries.

He said: "We agreed new efforts to get all countries to agree to untie aid and ... more debt relief.

"We also call for the forgiveness of aid-related debt for the least developed countries. We agreed a new initiative to the exceptional needs of post-conflict countries, including early debt relief."

The G8 leaders pledged "real and effective partnership" to help the poorest and most indebted countries reform and develop their economies.

Germany's Chancellor Kohl in Birmingham

In a 10-page communiqué the leaders said: "In a world of increasing globalisation we are ever more interdependent.

"Our challenge is to build on and sustain the process of globalisation and to ensure that its benefits are spread more widely to improve the quality of life of people everywhere."

The G8 summit in Britain's second city of Birmingham laid out plans for greater co-operation in the fight against international organised crime.

They also reaffirmed the key role of international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund in resolving the Asian crisis and stressed the need for affected economies to fully implement reform packages.

Asian governments were urged by the G8 to protect their people from the impact of the region's rumbling financial crisis.

Referring to the European Monetary Union project, the leaders of Britain, America, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan said they "look forward to a successful Emu which contributes to the health of the world economy".

G8 leaders also pledged to help developing countries cut pollution in line with the Kyoto agreement on environmental protection.