There was, in the statement from Oslo, recognition that the current economic crisis facing the bloc is presenting particular problems.

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"As such, Visa is largely immune from the current crisis facing credit-issuing banks in the U.S., " Gillen said.

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But the current economic crisis facing the West, which has hurt British banks like Barclays and Northern Rock, could see Brown reading his predecessor's memoirs for tips on how to win elections in the midst of a catastrophe.

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Mr Welteke said the current problems facing the eurozone were due to a debt crisis in southern Europe resulting from the financial crisis.

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He said Italians were facing "the most disparate hypotheses" about a solution for their current crisis.

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