BANGKOK : The Money Men Gather

Finance ministers and central bankers from the world’s largest industrial nations--the so-called Group of Seven--gather in Thailand’s capital Saturday in a traditional prelude to next week’s annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

For the first time, the G7--the United States, Britain, Germany, Japan, Canada, France and Italy--have invited Soviet officials to actually participate in one of their sessions. Indeed, the economic collapse of the Soviet Union has crowded out most of the other concerns of the world’s most powerful economies.

Even as the Soviets seek Western help to avert severe food shortages this winter, they also have severe cash-flow problems--they face more than $10 billion in debt repayments due before the end of the year.