Eight of the world's leading countries have worked out an action plan to help narrow the so-called digital divide between industrial and developing nations, a leading business daily reported Friday.

1 he plan calls for setting up an international organisation by next January to assist developing countries in equipping themselves with information technology' (IT) expertise, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said.

It will be presented to the Group of Eight (G8) summit in July and be reflected in agreements by leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy. Japan, Russia and the United States, the daily said.

The task force, comprising experts from governments, international organisations, businesses and non-profit organisations, will send missions to developing countries for up to six months to advise them on ways to build up IT infrastructure, the report said.

Japan's new Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi intends to

pledge Japan's financial help for the project. He is also expected to promise to send Japanese experts to the I I task force, the daily said.

The action plan also calls for helping developing nations draw up IT strategies, train specialists and become players in global electronic commerce, the report said.

At its last annual summit in Okinawa. Japan, the G8 agreed to set up a panel of diplomats to discuss ways to narrow the digital divide, the gap between industrial and developing countries in economic benefits generated by IT.

The project has also brought together experts from developing nations, such international organisations as the World Bank, the UN Development Programmeme (UNDP) and non-profit organisations, the report said.