"All countries should contribute and benefit from the new round," the G-8 leaders said in their 49-point communique issued at the end of their three-day summit here. Urging for a new round of broad-based and ambitious negotiations with the aim of achieving "substantial and manageable" results, the G-8 leaders wanted proposals to be made in areas where developing countries and in particular least developed nations can make "solid and substantial gains."

The communique said an effective new round of trade negotiations should help pave the way for further integration of the developing countries into the world economy.

Chairman Germany, the US, the UK, Italy, France, Canada, Japan and Russia are the members of the group. The G-8 leaderssaid they would seek a "more effective way" within the WTO for addressing the trade and environment relationship and promoting sustainable development and social and economic welfare worldwide.

They pledged to work to sustain and increase the benefits of globalisation and ensure that its "positive effects" are widely shared by people all over the world. "We need to take steps to strengthen the institutional and social infrastructure that can give globalisation a "human face and ensure increasing, widely shared prosperity," the communique said.

The G-8 leaders outlined their intention to step up work with developing countries and multilateral institutions to improve developing nations' capacity to exercise their rights and meet their obligations in the global trading system so as to ensure that they derived the "full benefits" and liberalise trade and thus contribute to global economic growth.