THE BISHOP of Selby gave his support to protesters calling for the cancellation of poor countries' debts as they set off from York railway station early today.

About 50 members of Jubilee 2000 were due to lobby leaders of the world's richest countries - including Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin and Tony Blair - at the G8 economic summit in Birmingham.

The protesters planned to join a six-mile human chain of peace and friendship around the conference on behalf of debt-ridden countries.

The bishop, the Rt Rev Humphrey Taylor, said: "I am one of a great many people who want to urge very strongly our own Government and also other governments among the G8 the desirability of cancelling the debts of the poorest and most indebted third-world countries.

"Jubilee 2000 has been around for quite a while and I am a strong supporter. I am sending the campaigners off with my best wishes and encouragement in their efforts with a great many other Christians in Birmingham today."

The Reverend Phil Hoar, of Central Methodist Church, York, and of Jubilee 2000, said debt caused starvation and crippled the education and health services of developing countries. Poorer countries fell into unmanageable debt in the early 1980s when interest rates on large loans made by Western governments in the 1970s and 1980s suddenly increased, he said.

A petition with millions of signatures calling for action would be presented to the international leaders, he said.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.