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Agence France Presse

BERLIN, Sept 28 (AFP) - International Monetary Fund managing director Horst Koehler said on Thursday that he seeks fundamental reform of the IMF and that he wants globalisation to benefit all states, not just the wealthy ones.

In an interview with the German state television network ARD, he said: "We need a climate of cooperation and must not pay attention only to the interests of the rich countries."

Speaking after the end of the global finance summit in Prague, Koehler said one of the main tasks was to help the poor countries and as far as possible to close the gap between rich and poor.

"The poor countries also want the IMF, or at least one that can change," he said.

He said that gobalisation and international trade in goods and services must not be seen just as a danger but also as an opportunity to fight poverty in the world.

But Koehler warned against exaggerated optimism that the problems could be solved rapidly. "Nobody possesses patent remedies," he said.

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