WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (AFP) - The United States said Monday it was planning to spend nearly 11 million dollars to host the 2004 summit of leaders from the Group of Eight industrialized nations and Russia.

The State Department asked Congress for 10.9 million dollars in its fiscal 2004 budget to fund the administrative, technical and security costs for the meeting which will be the first G8 summit in the United States since 1997.

The expenses include paying for contractors, interpreters, the installation of secure voice and data communications lines, office and conference space rental, security as well as costs associated with chairing the so-called "Roma/Lyon Group" which actually hosts the delegations, it said in its budget request.

"This group is responsible for hosting the eight foreign delegations and critical to establishing counter-terrorism policy commitments that G8 ministers will endorse," it said.

The G8 includes the United States, Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia.