Shortly before the recent G8 summit leaders from the Christian, Jewish and Mulim faiths urged Tony Blair to play "the fullest part" in helping the world's poorest coutnries.

Senior religious leaders from three faiths ? Christianity, Judaism and Islam ? came together at the end of Juneto publicly urge the Prime Minister to press for radical commitments on behalf of the world's poorest people prior to his chairing of the annual meeting of the world's richest nations in Scotland in July.

The joint appeal was contained in an open letter to Mr Blair from five religious leaders: the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Free Churches Moderator, Dr David Coffey, The Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Sir Jonathan Sacks, and the Chair of the Council of Mosques & Imams, Sheikh Dr Zaki Badawi.

In their joint letter, the religious leaders told Mr Blair:

"The UK's chairing of the G8, along with its Presidency of the EU, require and challenge Britain to play the fullest part now in seeking to change the structures and practices that result in suffering and privation. We hope and pray that the opportunity will be grasped with urgency.

"The security and wellbeing of all the nations depends on the security and wellbeing of each nation. A world divided by poverty cannot be healed without justice."

The letter continues: "We urge all the leaders at the Gleneagles summit to use their huge power and influence to meet the clear goals that have been set by the international community: halving extreme poverty and hunger in the next decade; reducing infant mortality by two thirds. We must treat these as solid commitments not as flags in the wind."

The full text of the letter is available here