Reports of rift in G-20 over stimulus plans exaggerated: Brown

Downplaying reports of split among the Group of 20 nations over economic stimulus plans, British Premier Gordon Brown has said the talk of differences is exaggerated and the upcoming summit of the leading nations will not force governments to bring in financial packages.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal ahead of the G-20 meeting and in the backdrop of growing economic crisis, Brown said the summit would not be an attempt to strong-arm countries into announcing stimulus packages.

"Nobody is suggesting that people come to the G-20 meeting and put on the table the budget they're going to have for the next year," he said, adding that the timing of such decisions was up to individual countries.

He said fiscal stimulus was just one of three ways the UK authorities are boosting the economy.

"We're doing it by interest rates being incredibly low, by our fiscal stimulus and by what is probably not yet understood by the public as one of the most effective and quicker ways of getting activity moving in the economy -- by quantitative easing," Brown said.

In quantitative easing, central banks inject money into the economy by direct purchases of financial assets.

He suggested they had already pursued all three, raising questions about whether a further fiscal boost was likely in the annual budget announcement due April 22, the Journal said.