SOUTH Swindon MP Julia Drown is to host a meeting on world debt with Chancellor Gordon Brown and Sir Bob Geldof.

Ms Drown is the co-chair of the All Party Group on heavily indebted poor countries and will chair the meeting on Monday in the House of Commons.

The meeting will be attended by MPs, peers, ambassadors and organisations concerned with third-world development issues.

The meeting will discuss the key commitments to poor countries on international development ahead of World Bank and International Monetary Fund spring meetings, which are taking place next week.

Ms Drown has been leading an important campaign in Parliament focusing on two developing countries, Niger and Ethiopia, whose debt cancellation has been jeopardised by the blocking of much-needed funds.

Ms Drown said: "Monday's meeting is a great opportunity to address this shortfall in resources, which unless remedied will prevent the poorest countries from meeting the Millennium Development Goal targets which are so important in eradicating the huge problems made worse by debt - poverty, disease and lack of education to name just a few."