Bush hopes G-8 summit will be turning point

As President George Bush plays host today to world leaders critical of his Iraq policies, the White House is hoping the G-8 summit proves a turning point where he and his adversaries on the war permanently set aside their differences.

Bush stacked his schedule of meetings with leaders from countries that were critical of the Iraq war: Russia, Canada and Germany.

But his first meeting at the luxury resort of Sea Island off Georgia’s coastline was with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan, which sent hundreds of troops to southern Iraq on a humanitarian mission.

Iraq and the broader Mideast have eclipsed the official economic agenda of the annual gathering of industrial powers – the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia.

But summit officials said they intended to announce agreement today on plans for fighting famine on the Horn of Africa, eradicating polio, cutting poverty and developing an HIV vaccine.

A Group of Eight declaration on promoting democracy in the Middle East is expected on Wednesday.

Bush administration officials say they sensed an opening on Iraq, thanks to positive developments and what they see as the absence of the bitter disagreements that have characterised other recent summits.

The establishment of an interim Iraqi government last week marked the beginning of the end of the US occupation, they say, and the caretaker government’s president was due to arrive at the summit tonight.

Images of Bush meeting with Ghazi al-Yawer will send a powerful symbolic message about the president’s intention to give Iraq full sovereignty, aides say.

The White House believes it has all but secured a UN Security Council resolution to endorse the hand over of political power to Iraqis in three weeks and to authorise a US-led multinational force to remain in Iraq.

In response to calls from European countries, a G-8 document to be released on Wednesday will stress the need to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The final document also will press Mideast governments to step up efforts at promoting democracy and human rights and encourage greater participation by non-governmental groups.