PARIS, FRANCE (VISNEWS - TRAN HUU TRONG)

GV Conference centre in Paris (2 shots)
GV Flags
GV President and delegates at conference table (4 shots)
GV Delegates at table talking informally (3 shots)
GV Delegates, including those from USA (3 shots)
SV Japanese delegate
SV Norwegian delegate PANS TO New Zealand delegates PANS TO UK delegates
GV World Bank delegate
GV Delegates at circular table

Background: INTRODUCTION: The Development Assistance Committee, part of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), began their 20th high-level meeting in Paris on Tuesday (17 November).The Committee seeks to co-ordinate the foreign aid activities of the 17 richest industrial nations.Set up 20 years ago by the US, it originally intended to prod other rich countries into giving aid to the developing world.Now the United States is one of the most miserly of donors, and it is thought the Reagan administration, believing that private enterprise should replace aid, will not open its pursestrings further.

SYNOPSIS: The Committee president Mr.Rutherford Poats, and the delegates from seventeen richest nations began their meeting amid gloomy predictions for the expected economic growth for the industrialised world during the next twelve months.Also at the meeting were officials from the European Economic Community (EEC), and observers from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The OECD is predicting a slightly-lower growth rate for the industrialised countries in the second half of this year than was anticipated in July.Officials say the main reason for this is the U.S.recession.They expect the growth-rate to advance -- but only just.

OECD officials have said the outlook is still for record unemployment, sluggish growth and delayed recovery from recession, but they deny that there have been any major changes from their previous forecasts.They believe, however, that inflation general will come down slightly faster than had been thought.


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