World Bank President James Wolfensohn blasted rich nations Monday for making statements about poverty, aid or trade to score headlines but failing to deliver on their promises.

Speaking at a World Bank development conference, Wolfensohn said none of the Group of Eight rich countries spent the promised 0.7 per cent of gross national income on development aid.

Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are the only countries to have hit the target set out in the Millennium Development Goals, which aims to have global poverty by 2015.

Wolfensohn said the world's major governments were willing to

spend $900 billion on defence but provided just $60 billion for overseas aid, of which a fraction is in cash.

"It is the rich countries which go through every year a sort of shadow play at the G8 meetings when Sherpas come around to try and see what it is that can be highlighted that won't cost a lot of money but which will get a headline," said Wolfensohn, adding, "and I'm not joking aboutthis".

"When you dig down for fundamental changes ... Doha (round of trade talks) has not been a huge success so far in terms of agriculture and other opening of trade, and aid has hardly been a success," he said.

Sherpas are the senior bureaucrats who conduct detailed negotiations and set the agendas before

summit meetings of their political bosses, who then announce any agreements reached.

Wolfensohn said tackling poverty should be treated with the same urgency as rebuilding of Iraq or Afghanistan.

"The issue of development and poverty is as important and urgent as the question of Iraq, as the question of Afghanistan or Gaza," he said in a jab at Washington.

Wolfensohn said both the rich and the poor world recognised the challenges to tackle poverty and corruption, and provide health and education for all, but fell short on fulfilling their commitments.

The G8 comprises the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Russia.