British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown reaffirmed on Friday Britain's stand to lift Africa out of poverty through what he called a modern "Marshall plan" .

Downing Street Office said Brown, while speaking in Scottish capital Edinburgh, set out four key proposals that form British government's "Marshall plan" for Africa and the developing world.

Brown proposed erasing all the debt poor countries owe to international organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development bank.

That would follow up the cancellation in recent years of much of the debt the poorest nations owe directly to Britain and other rich countries.

He also proposed to use 100 per cent debt relief to fund education and health projects in Africa, providing extra money for a massive immunization scheme and increasing direct development aid.

Brown also said that efforts would be made to improve Africa's export trade.

"This is not a time for timidity nor a time to fear reaching too high," Brown said in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. "This year ... is our chance to reverse the fortunes of a continent and to help transform the lives of millions," Brown said.

He said 2005 is a vital year for Africa and argued that without significantly more money the United Nation's Millennium Goal of halving world poverty by 2015 will be impossible.

Britain has Presidency of the G8 this year and the Chancellor wants to use the opportunity to "transform the lives of millions".

British Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to have talks with all seven other leaders ahead of the G8 summit, beginning with his Italian counterpart Silvo Berlusconi in Rome last week to gain agreement from the leaders.

He will also visit Moscow and see French president Jacoques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and speak to his colleagues in Canada and Japan by video conference link.

Brown said he would present his proposals to a meeting of EU finance ministers in London next week before discussing them again in the run-up to the July summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

Britain also pledged to keep pushing the development agenda outside the G8 -- which comprises Britain, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Canada, the United States and Russia.

Brown said he had invited ministers from China, India, Brazil and South Africa to the pre-Gleneagles meeting of finance ministers to discuss the global economy and development.

Source: Xinhua