World leaders meet on financial crisis

Today’s address before the UN General Assembly was President Bush’s last and he reassured heads of state that his administration was acting quickly to contain the financial crisis. Bush didn’t ask for any particular action from other countries today, but other leaders still offered their opinions. Brazil’s President said the rest of the world shouldn’t be forced to pay for the mistakes of a few capitalists. The Philippine President likened the crisis to a natural disaster. There are fears in the UN that domestic economic difficulties among rich countries will make them hesitant to help with poverty issues in the developing world. French President Sarkozy called for more transparency in economic systems and also for a world summit to address the crisis.