World financial powers, gathering in the US from Friday as the Iraqi regime crumbles, still face a fight to reinforce a sluggish global economy, officials and analysts said.
"We don't want to infer too much good news from the possible successful resolution of the Iraqi matter," Moody's Investors Service chief economist John Lonski warned.
"By itself, the apparent coalition victory in Iraq does not eliminate the terror risks that at least still menace the US economy if not other countries."
G7 finance ministers and central bankers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US will dine here Friday. Iraq, not on the official, is likely to dominate. The G7 power meet formally Saturday before joining colleagues a few blocks away for the 184-nation International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings April 12 through April 13.
Scenes of jubilant Iraqis and US troops toppling a towering statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in a Baghdad square would no doubt color the meetings of the G7, deeply split over the need for the war.
"It will probably make the mood a little bit more upbeat," said Michael Mussa, former IMF chief economist, now scholar at the Institute for International Economics.
RSS