The United States will not support Britain's debt relief facility plan for the poorest countries in the world, the American Treasury Under Secretary John Taylor said on Friday.

He told a small group of reporters who travelled with him to the G7 finance minsters' meeting in London that the US has its own"bold" proposal for debt relief for the poor countries.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has pledged touse Britain's presidency of the G7 to push for a scheme delivering full debt cancellation, trade benefits and financial assistance for the world's poorest countries under an International Finance Facility plan.

He said earlier this week that Britain "will be trying to persuade America that debt relief and extra finance for development is in its interests not just because it is good economics and social policy but good for its security as well."

He also said that "if the US wants to separate the extremists from those that they are trying to influence, it makes good sense to show how industrial nations can implement a Marshall Plan for developing countries."

So far Britain has already secured the backing of the three other European members of the G7 -- Germany, France and Italy -- for its international finance facility, which would double annual aid flows to 100 billion US dollars a year.

Brown said "we are demanding action this weekend from the G7."

But it was understood the US President George Bush has meanwhile launched his own development initiative for impoverishednations.

Taylor said "not only does the IFF not work for the United States, we don't need the IFF, " referring to Brown's idea for a new International Finance Facility and writing off debt to poor countries.

Taylor also said that the US is "not convinced of the need" to sell International Monetary Fund gold to finance debt relief.

Taylor was speaking at the eve of a regular G7 finance minsters' meeting in London where the ministers would consider proposals from Brown on help for Africa as well as Asian countries hit by December's tsunami.

Source: Xinhua