German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called here in Berlin on the the Group of 20 leading nations to take action on curbing bankers' bonuses. Speaking to a press conference after their meeting in the German capital, Merkel said she wanted G20 leaders, to meet later this month in Pittsburgh of the United States, to agree on measures that would limit the high bonuses paid to bank executives, seen by many as a cause of risk-taking that has been blamed for the global financial crisis. Merkel has long called for such limits on bankers' bonuses since the eruption of the global financial crisis, but her proposals have not yet agreed by G20 nations. Merkel explained that a system in which bonuses are paid out over a longer period based on the sustainability of a bank's performance would be preferable to present bonus practices. Another measure to reduce risk-taking would be for bank's to increase the percentage of their capital in relation to their risk- weighted assets, she said. Merkel's proposal was echoed by Brown at the press conference. 'We must curb the bonus culture in the financial sector,' Brown said. Brown's remarks signal a change in Britain's position on imposing limits on bankers' bonuses. Britain and the United States have been shy of such measures as they fear the measures may bring negative impact on the City of London and the Wallstreet. At the press conference, both Merkel and Brown announced a new initiative for an international conference on Afghanistan, to be held later this year after the outcome of the country's presidential election is known. 