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News Analysis: Politics to overshadow economic issues at G8 summit
( 2003-06-01 18:41 ) (8)

With the annual Group of the Eight (G8) summit scheduled for June 2-3 drawing near in Evian, a southeastern spa town in France, international concerns are heightened that the unstable state of the global economy would play second fiddle to politics.

Hosted by French President Jacques Chirac, whose country holds the rotating G8 presidency, this year's traditional economic talks among leaders of the world's seven leading industries -- France, the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan -- plus Russia, was supposed to be a chance to kick around the big global economic issues of the world, which has seen a faltering economic growth.

According to Elysee spokeswoman Catherine Colonna, France wishes to convey such a message to the world through the Evian summit -- to promote development, strengthen solidarity and guarantee security through dialogue and coordination.

To strengthen dialogue, France this year has invited the heads of state or government from 13 countries as well as the leaders of four major international organizations to attend an Enlarged Dialogue meeting with the G8 leaders.

Yet, analysts said, in the wake of the US-led war against Iraq, politics would overshadow economics at the coming G8 summit, which is aimed at seeking ways to achieve core goals of boosting the world economy, breaking the deadlock in global trade talks or offering concrete help to Africa.

Unless political reconciliation is achieved between the pro-war camp and the anti-war camp, there would be no hope for progress on festering economic issues from trade issues to structural reform, they said.

With the transatlantic rift yet to be healed, financial markets were likely to be rattled despite a modest rebound in the wake of the US-led war in Iraq, they added.

The Iraq war exposed a big rift among transatlantic allies. Within the G8 group, Britain, Italy and Japan support the US-led war against Iraq, while France, Germany, Russia and Canada opposed to the US-British military action in the country, with France spearheading the anti-war camp in the United Nations.

Earlier reports said while France prepares to host the Evian summit, the country considers the coming event as a conciliatory opportunity to improve Franco-US relations soured by rift over Iraq.

Chirac wants his first meeting on French soil with his US counterpart George W. Bush after the Iraq war to be a scene of reconciliation, reports said.

But in an interview with the British Financial Times newspaper last week, Chirac remains unrepentant about his anti-war stance during the Iraq crisis and the rift in transatlantic and inter- European relations.

"A war that lacks legitimacy does not acquire legitimacy just because it has been won," Chirac told the paper.

On the US side, US President George W. Bush, who would meet Chirac face-to-face on the sidelines of the Evian summit, told foreign journalists Thursday that the summit would not be a " confrontational meeting."

The US was not planning sanctions against France for opposing the war in Iraq, Bush told reporters, adding that he hoped the gathering in Evian would focus on tackling the world economy, developing free trade and combating famine in Africa.

Alluding to Bush's comments, analysts said that though eager to press ahead on matters of common interest such as the Middle East peace process and the war on terrorism, the US president did not hide its distrust of France by saying that he and his country felt "frustration and disappointment" toward the French decision to oppose the Iraq war.

The US would be cautious in their dealings with France, analysts pointed out.

And although France soothed relations by voting on May 22 in favor of a UN resolution that lifted sanctions imposed on Iraq, fundamental divisions on the post-war order still exist, with France wanting the United Nations to play a major role in rebuilding Iraq, they insisted.

Aftershocks from the rift over Iraq still rattle transatlantic relations, they said. While the G8 leaders have vowed to seek agreement on boosting a sluggish global economy and promoting peace in the Middle East region, Bush's decision to leave early before the summit ends on June 3 might be seen as an indication of remaining differences between the anti-war camp and those countries that support Bush's tough stance on Iraq.

However, analysts said, despite the tensions aroused by the Iraq crisis, the G8 countries share common things such as fighting terrorism and maintaining international security.

There would be disputes over major global issues at Evian, they argued. But the G8 leaders would use the arena supplied by France to make compromise, in a bid to protect their own national interests.