Italian G8 2009 presidency faces tough challenges

by Silvia Marchetti and Yang Aiguo

ROME, Jan. 3 (Chinese media) -- Italy took over the G8 presidency from Japan on Jan. 1 this year and will host the G8 summit from July 8 to 10 in the island of Sardinia. Tough tasks lie ahead for the newG8 head, with global financial crisis and regional safety high on the agenda.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi described the G8 summit as a "unique meeting." The summit will be a "large-scale" event enlarged to include other non-G8 members, and key issues will be addressed in an all-round approach, said Italian government sources.

Terrorism, nuclear disarmament and situations in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Africa will top the agenda. The financial crisis, reforms to the Bretton Woods system of monetary management, the development of renewable energy sources, climate change, food safety and poverty will also be given priority.

　　G8 EXPECTS ENLARGEMENT

Enlargement will be a key topic in the 2009 G8 meeting, which is expected to expand to the G5 countries of China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. Egypt will also be invited as the first Arab and Muslim country as it has played a major role in the Mideast region, said Premier Berlusconi.

World crisis and disputes call for broader coordination, in which each nation plays its role, especially in the wake of the financial turmoil and the threat of terrorism. The G13 or G14 (including Egypt), as Berlusconi envisages, would come to represent about 80 percent of the global economy and a vast majority of the world's population.

But reforming permanently the G8 structure is no easy job. G8 nations such as Canada, Britain and Italy have pressed to open the door to emerging economies, but France, Germany, Russia and especially Japan and the United States have been hesitant. Newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama, believed to be more inclined to a multilateral approach than his predecessor George W. Bush, will probably favor widening the international cooperation scheme inside the G8 structure.

FINANCIAL CRISIS AND BRETTON WOODS REFORM

The summit will focus on the financial tsunami that hit global economy. Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti has talked on several occasions about the need to "redesign the Bretton Woods" agreement. The global financial structure established after World War II seemed "out of date facing the current global challenges. The issue will be discussed in this year's summit. The G8's goal is to strengthen financial institutions, restore confidence in the financial system and provide a sound economic footing for citizens and businesses. But the solutions cannot be limited within G8 members and must involve other countries and international institutions, observers said.

REGIONAL SECURITY AND ANTI-TERRORISM

"In 2009 we'll see an exceptional diplomatic effort," said Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. With the recent crisis in Gaza, regional security situations are becoming more complicated. Italy has made the Middle East issue a top priority of its G8 presidency. On Jan.2, Premier Berlusconi had a phone conversation with Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert regarding the situation in Gaza. The premier will discuss the issue in coming days with other G8 leaders, said Italian government sources.

In June this year, a month before the G8 summit, Italian authorities will organize in Trieste an international conference on the stabilization of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Apart from the G8 members, the participation of India, China, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates demonstrates the importance of involving all countries that can play a central role in the region.

Special attention will be paid to anti-terrorism, a new plan on the Iraqi issue following the end of Bush's presidency, and to Iran's nuclear program and the construction of a new European security structure.

　　CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY AND FOOD SAFETY

During Italy's presidency, the G8 will commit to taking strong leadership in combating climate change. The group will welcome decisions made in Bali as the foundation for reaching a global agreement on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by 2009. The final goal is to establish an effective and ambitious global post-2012 climate regime and all major economies need to commit to meaningful mitigation actions.

Italy is working hard on the implementation of a post-Kyoto plan, in cooperation with the European Union, the United States and emerging countries such as China and India. It will be "a very ambitious project" for the G8 summit, the government sources said.

Regarding the energy issue, Italy plans to honor commitments made in Japan where the G8 pledged to compile national reports with the help of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and to update them for the summit.

Nuclear energy will be at the center of the talks. The G8 countries agree that transfer of enrichment equipment, facilities and technology to any additional state will be subject to conditions that at least guarantee no replication of the facilities will be made.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Italy will hold aG8 meeting in April, which will focus on the energy issue and promote dialogues between producers and consumers with the objective of reaching a stable prize scheme.

The Italian government said it will also put high on the international political agenda issues such as food safety, with a special focus on Africa, the fight against poverty and sustainable agricultural development.