Abuja - German President Horst Koehler urged on Friday for "a new regulatory framework for the global economy," at the opening of the fourth Partnership for Africa forum being held in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

Koehler arrived on Friday with his wife Eva Luise for a six-day visit devoted to bilateral and African issues.

In his opening speech Koehler made specific reference to the shared challenges presented by the current global financial crisis.

"A time has come when we can agree on common tasks for humanity and commit ourselves to them," he said.

"It is time for a new regulatory framework for the global economy which makes capital the servant, not the master, and in which combatting poverty and climate change is defined as a strategic task for each and every one of us," he said.

"We can lay milestones for a new, cooperative world order. I hope that the G20 financial summit in Washington this coming week will provide some impetus," Koehler added.

The Partnership for Africa forum is not intended as a donor- recipient conference, but as a gathering aimed at creating greater understanding and proximity, the president's office said.

Following the end of the talks on Sunday, Koehler is due to meet Nigeria's president, Umaru Musa Yar'adua, who took office in May 2007.

So far the conference has been overshadowed by the ongoing violence in eastern Congo. Rwandan President Paul Kagame had been due to address the conference but cancelled due to Friday's summit on the Congo conflict in Nairobi.

The Africa Forum has met three times previously - once in Ghana and twice in Germany. (dpa)