Iraq's foreign debt is estimated at between $60,000 million and $100,000 million, and US deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz on 10 April called on France, Russia and Germany to forgive Iraqi debt so that revenues could be directed towards reconstruction. Speaking to reporters at the G7 meeting, German Foreign Minister Hans Eichel said that: 'Any speculation about debt forgiveness is very, very premature, to put it in cautious terms.' Germany's debt is about $4,000 million. Eichel also pointed out that the Paris Club of international creditors, whose members are owed about $25,000 million in total, generally deals with debt restructuring rather than debt relief. French Foreign Minister Francois Mer said that other indebted countries were equally in need of assistance, and that Iraqi debt could be 'progressively renegotiated' but that 'one does not clear the slate'. Moscow sent a similar message. 'The rules that will apply are the same as for any other foreign debt,' said Russian Foreign Minister Alexei Kudrin. 'We will not give more than any of the other countries.' UK Chancellor Gordon Brown called for the involvement of the Paris Club in addressing both the interest payments, which have not been paid for many years, and the debt principle.