G8 says economies stabilising, recovery uncertain

LECCE, Italy, June 13 (Reuters) - The world's rich nations said on Saturday that their economies were showing signs of stabilising but recovery from the credit crisis remained uncertain.

A communique by finance ministers from the Group of Eight countries confirmed that they had started to consider how they would unwind economic rescue measures once a recovery was certain.

But the statement, released after a two-day meeting of the ministers in southern Italy, also noted that unemployment might continue to increase even after production picked up.

In a sign of continued divisions among the G8 over how to handle the crisis, the communique made no explicit reference to "stress tests" of banks' financial health, merely saying nations would take needed actions to ensure the soundness of big banks.

The United States and Canada have been pressing Europe to do more to test their banks and to release the results, but some European nations have resisted disclosure. (Reporting by Gavin Jones; Writing by Andrew Torchia; Editing by Patrick Graham) (gavin.jones@thomsonreuters.com; +39 348 151 0428)