French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde on Monday reiterated her nation's position that big emerging nation economies should be allowed to join the powerful Group of Seven industrialised nations forum that has a large say in global economic policy.

Christine Lagarde told French and Brazilian business executives that the G-7 would have little clout in the future unless the planet's big developing countries are allowed to participate.

"The G7 won't mean anything unless it quickly changes into a G-13 or G-14," Lagarde said at a Brazil-France trade forum in Sao Paulo.

Brazil should be among the emerging market countries invited to join the G-7, but Lagarde didn't specify others. Brazil, Russia, China and India are the world's leading emerging market economies.

International financial crisis

Lagarde made the comments ahead of a summit in Washington on Saturday for world leaders from rich and developing nation leaders to hold talks on the international financial crisis.

She participated on the weekend in a meeting of finance ministers and central bank presidents from the G-20 group of rich and developing countries.

Brazil is lobbying for the G-20 to be the group that revamps the global financial system.

The leaders of that group will meet in Washington, and Lagarde told Brazil's Valor Economic business newspaper that it will be up to the heads of state to determine which group of nations takes the lead in revamping the global financial system to prevent another economic meltdown from happening.

- AP