Koehler tour

German President Horst Koehler left Berlin on Monday for a 10-day trip to India and South Korea, where it is believed he will seek support for reforms to international banking.

On Tuesday, Koehler is to hold political talks with Indian President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, followed by a tour of Mumbai, according to his official government website.

It is believed Koehler wants to enlist the support of India, with its 1.1 billion people, for reforms to international financial markets.

Aides close to the president, whose position in Germany is largely ceremonial, have said Koehler was also keen to see the progress made in India since the country underwent its period of deregulation, according to the German news agency dpa.

He is also to attend discussions at the German cultural institution the Goethe Institut, as well as visit the new Volkswagen plant in Pune in western India.

Second leg

On February 7, he is to fly to South Korea, which is the current chair of the Group of 20 nations. Seoul's support is seen as vital to any effort to push for reforms to international financial and banking regulations.

The visits to India and South Korea are being seen as recognition by Germany that the Group of 7 - France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States - is no longer an effective forum for dealing with global issues.

The G7 has come under increasing criticism in recent years for failing to involve countries like China, India and Brazil in tackling world problems. The so-called Group of 20 is increasingly being seen as a more effective platform for debate.

dfm/dpa

Editor: Rob Turner