European Press Review: G-8 is an International Jamboree

Many British dailies commented on the annual gathering of the G-8 on the southern resort Sea Island in Georgia. The Independent stated that the summit has become redundant. "It’s lost most of its focus over the last 29 years. What used to be an opportunity for the world’s richest nations to informally exchange views has escalated into just another international jamboree," the paper wrote. "The all-consuming item this year is, of course, the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq, but this feature is nowhere on the formal agenda." The paper was of the opinion that it is time to abandon the G-8 as a forum and replace it with single-issue summits, "bringing together the leaders who are truly interested and dedicated to the subject at hand."

The Guardian was convinced that the delicate issues like trying to help some of the world’s poorest nations may get trodden in the sand this year. It pointed out that like the previous two summits, the United States has ensured the agenda is dominated by security issues related to its war on terror.

Milan’s Corriere della Sera took a different angle on the focus of the summit. It said U.S. President George W. Bush might take the opportunity to achieve his goal of getting his counterparts to take on a bigger role in helping rebuild Iraq.

On the issue of the draft Iraq resolution presented to the United Nations Security Council, Moscow’s Kommersant called it without a doubt "very significant." It’s adoption could "narrow the division among nations over the Iraq war," it wrote. The daily said it offered the opportunity for world leaders "to forget their differences, or at least pretend to."

Libération

in Paris noted that the adoption of the draft Iraq resolution will "boost the central role of the UN in the country, after the U.S. pushed it out of the way when it elected a new Baghdad government." It said the draft text also highlights the representation of the interim government, even though it wasn’t elected by the people. "In the end, the urgency of the situation in Iraq justifies the resolution," the paper concluded.