PARIS, May 30: Economic growth in 30 of the world's leading industrialised countries slowed to 0.6 per cent in the first quarter of the year from 0.8 per cent in the final three months of 2006, the OECD said on Wednesday.It found that in the United States, the world's most powerful economy, gross domestic product expanded just 0.3 per cent, its weakest pace since first quarter 2003, after 0.6 per cent in fourth quarter 2006.

In Japan, momentum came to 0.6 per cent, down from 1.2 per cent in fourth quarter 2006, while in the eurozone growth slowed to 0.6 per cent from 0.9 per cent.

The euro area, as designated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, groups Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.

In the Group of Seven nations, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, growth fell to 0.4 per cent from 0.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, according to the OECD.

Annual growth, which compares the first quarter of 2007 with the same period of 2006, was highest in Germany, 3.6 per cent, and the lowest in France, 2 per cent.

In the United States the pace of annual growth fell to 2.1 per cent in the first quarter from 3.7 per cent in the first three months of 2006. —AFP