Germany to urge sustainable public spending at G8

BERLIN, July 4 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will promote the consolidation of public finances at next week's Group of Eight Summit, according to German weekly "Tagesspiegel am Sonntag".

In an advanced release of a guest article to run in Sunday's "Taggespiegel" newspaper, Merkel wrote that she would advocate "bringing public expenditure as quickly as possible back onto a sustainable path after the end of the crisis."

"This is an important sign of confidence in countries' future capacity to act financially," she wrote.

Merkel has repeatedly stressed her desire to reduce the debt burden once the economic crisis has passed, and the German parliament last month amended the constitution to set future limits on public sector borrowing.

The leaders of the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia, together with those of major emerging economies, will meet in the central Italian town of L'Aquila for the July 8-10 meeting.

For stories on the G8 summit in Italy click on [ID:nL2198823] (Reporting by Sarah Marsh, Editing by Peter Blackburn)