Finance ministers from the G7 states — the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — met this weekend to discuss responses to the international financial crisis. Despite calls before the meeting for rapid, coordinated action, the communiqué the organization issued Feb. 14 was short on action points and shorter still on collaboration. The G7 members agreed on a three-point approach to follow in tackling the financial effects of the crisis: Ensure sufficient liquidity to financial markets, strengthen the capital bases of financial institutions, and work to minimize the impact of toxic assets (e.g., subprime mortgage-backed securities) held by financial institutions. On the fiscal side, the G7 stated that its members are committed to stimulus policies that can be accomplished quickly and can balance tax cuts and government spending.