“The G-20 isn’t a forum for discussion of exchange rates, so that isn’t an issue that is on the agenda,” Snow told reporters as he prepared to depart from Warsaw for a G-20 meeting of finance ministers and central bankers in Berlin.

The G-20 gathering occurs against a backdrop of mounting European concern that expansion prospects are suffering because the fall of the dollar is sapping Europe’s exports.

Snow hoped to meet German Finance Minister Hans Eichel yesterday night and said he wanted to discuss measures being taken to get Europe’s biggest economy growing faster.

“That’s always an issue with them,” Snow said.

Even if discussions about currency values were not on any formal agenda, it was virtually certain that they will take place behind closed doors during the G-20 sessions, which wrap up at midday on Sunday with the issue of a closing communiqué.

But Snow said, “The issues... are the development of a policy for sustainable growth.” “The US is much in the forefront of advancing the idea that growth is very much in the interests of the global community and we all need to take steps to remove the barriers to growth.”

The US Treasury chief said there was broad agreement among G-20 members — who include the Group of Seven rich countries — on the importance of boosting the pace of expansion in their economies.

The G-7 comprises the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, while the broader G-20 also takes in key emerging market countries like China and Brazil.

“Countries that have slow growth rates have every incentive to get faster growth rates,” Snow said. “We’re not castigating people, that’s not what this is about.”

“We recognise there are things that need to be done in the United States to put us in a better posture. Japan, France, Germany all recognise there are things they need to do to put themselves in a better posture, in a higher growth rate,” he added.

The United States has come under strong criticism from Europe for running record budget and trade deficits that trade partners say are at the root of the decline in the dollar’s value.

“I will emphasise the Bush administration is committed to major deficit reduction,” Snow said.

He played down any suggestion the United States and Europe were at loggerheads over the best methods for pursuing strong growth.

“I think we see eye to eye on the most important issues... free trade, moving to greater currency flexibility where currencies aren’t flexible. On those issues, we’re in broad agreement,” Snow said.

He also referred to efforts to reform international financial institutions.

“We want to keep the momentum going,” he said.