The G-20 leaders meeting at Pittsburgh in the United States for their third summit this year have decided to continue the stimulus package to quicken global economic recovery.

This will come as a huge relief for several emerging economies like India as some European countries were insisting that an exit policy should be made to end the stimulus package agreed in London.

A White House statement says leaders have endorsed the G-20 as the premier forum for their international economic cooperation and that they need to build a stronger, more balanced global economy and reform the financial system.

The White House statement came right after US President Barack Obama hosted a dinner for the heads of government that included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

And true to what he told Foreign Minister SM Krishna in New York that he was looking forward to the Indian prime minister's first state visit since he became President of the United States, Obama and First Lady Michelle gave a warm welcome to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife, Gurcharan Kaur.

But what the Prime Minister hopes to take away from the summit is a firm commitment by the world's most powerful countries to do more to create a more equitable world economic and financial order and increase the lending capacity of the IMF and the World Bank and resist protectionism.

s:NP