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Countries that weathered the global economic crisis with their financial systems relatively unscathed are being shortsighted by opposing a global bank levy, the IMF's chief said on Saturday.

European heavyweights Germany and France vowed on Sunday to take a hard line with Greece in exchange for financial support as doubts emerged over whether a 45 billion euro ($60.2 billion) aid package was sufficient to prevent a default.

Greece must agree to tough new austerity measures before it receives any financial aid from the European Union and failure to do so would endanger such support, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told a newspaper.

Finance leaders scrambled to secure aid for debt-stricken Greece on Saturday and Canada cautioned that some European countries feared the 45 billion euros ($60 billion) under consideration was not enough.

The IMF and Argentina are talking about sending an IMF technical mission to the country to improve the quality of the government's economic data, a senior IMF official said on Saturday.

World Bank member countries reached a preliminary agreement on a 3.13 percent shift in voting power to give emerging and developing nations greater influence in the global institution.

Greece and top world finance officials raced to get rescue funds to the debt-stricken euro zone country but concern in Germany about the scale of the bailout threatened to slow down the process.

Countries must not be complacent about the state of the global economy, despite brighter signs of recovery, Japanese Finance Minister Naoto Kan on Saturday warned his counterparts at the International Monetary Fund.

A bank levy to cover the cost of future bailouts is a flawed idea, a global banking group said on Saturday, calling instead for a global agreement for unwinding failing banks without resorting to taxpayer money.

Emerging-market economies should be given an increased say in global financial institutions at the cost of rich countries, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Saturday.

Advanced economies must make good on pledges to tighten regulation and curtail government debt or the fragile recovery could unravel, a top European official said on Saturday.

G20 finance leaders said on Friday they had secured a better-than-expected global economic recovery but were wary of overconfidence as Greece's debt crisis put the focus on worsening public finances.

G20 finance leaders said on Friday they had secured a better-than-expected global economic recovery but were wary of overconfidence as Greece's debt crisis put the focus on worsening public finances.

Proposals to hit banks around the world with new taxes to help pay for bailouts split world finance leaders on Friday.

Debt-stricken Greece appealed to its European partners and the IMF for emergency loans on Friday, yielding to overwhelming market pressure to set in motion the first financial rescue of a member of the euro zone.

Debt-stricken Greece appealed to its European partners and the IMF for emergency loans on Friday, yielding to overwhelming market pressure to set in motion the first financial rescue of a member of the euro zone.

World finance leaders gather in Washington on Friday hoping to plot a course beyond the financial crisis, but Greece's worsening debt woes served as a stark reminder the global economy remains vulnerable.

Greece will ask European governments and the IMF on Friday to trigger billions of euros in emergency loans, a government source said, in what could be the largest state bailout ever attempted.

Greece asked European governments and the IMF on Friday to trigger billions of euros in emergency loans in what could be the largest state bailout ever attempted.

Greek media reported on Friday the government would request the activation of an EU/IMF aid package at 5 a.m. ET but officials would not confirm the reports as that deadline passed.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou asked for the activation of an EU/IMF aid package on Friday aimed at pulling the euro zone member out of a debt crisis.

The IMF sought to maintain unity within the Group of 20 economic powers on Thursday, urging countries not to go separate ways in reforming the financial sector, as frictions emerged over a controversial plan to tax banks.

The global economy is recovering from recession more quickly than expected but rescue efforts have worsened public finances, and if not reined in, will lead to a debt explosion, the IMF said on Wednesday.

Global finance leaders face fractious talks this week on how to shift more voting power at the World Bank to emerging economic heavyweights such as China, a prelude to a bigger fight over the IMF.

The International Monetary Fund will raise its forecast for global growth this year to 4 percent or more as China and emerging economies pick up pace, the Nikkei newspaper quoted the head of the fund as saying.

Crisis-forged unity among the Group of 20 rich and emerging economies may be fraying before the problems they set out to address are solved.

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank said on Sunday they expect to go ahead with meetings of global finance chiefs in Washington this week despite air travel disruptions caused by Iceland's volcanic ash.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the French Socialist politician heading the International Monetary Fund, on Sunday sidestepped questions about whether he may seek to run in France's 2012 presidential election, saying only he was happy with his current job.

Finance ministers agreed in principle on Friday to create a permanent mechanism to handle economic crises in the euro zone, as preparations continued on an unprecedented aid package for debt-stricken Greece.