London (AP) British Prime Minister Gordon brown will be among the leaders of the group of 20 world economies attending a summit in Washington this weekend.

Today, he appeared to issue an appeal to Washington – and indirectly to the incoming Obama administration -- to avoid perceived moves toward protectionism in response to the world financial crisis.

In his foreign policy speech to London's Lord Mayor's banquet brown said he hoped president-elect Obama can lead radical reforms of the global institutions, including the international monetary fund and the World Bank.

Brown has recently called for a greater future role in world institutions for China and oil-rich Persian Gulf states. And he said that the current financial turmoil could eventually be seen as what he termed the “birth pangs of a new global order.”

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