Anti-Globalization Protests Make Leaders Rethink G-8 Process

Anti-Globalization Protests Make Leaders Rethink G-8 Process

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Unprecedented anti- globalization demonstrations being staged in this seaside city of Italy have made the leaders of the Group of Eight countries consider seriously the future process of what is often seen as " rich men's club."

In Friday's violent clashes between protesters and police, an Italian youth was killed and at least 184 people injured while the leaders from the seven industrialized countries and Russia were meeting in a Renaissance palace.

The police killing of the Genoa young demonstrator and growing violence, which has been plaguing major international meetings in the past two years, once again underlined concerns raised in various circles over the structure and format of the G-8 summit.

"It is tragic and yet so contradictory to see the big powers of the world incapable of guaranteeing a peaceful meeting of themselves," the Italian newspaper la Republica said in a front- page editorial.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the host of the current G-8 summit, told other G-8 leaders: "We are trying to help the poor countries but we risk being seen as eight people shut up in an ivory tower."

In a comment on the killing of the protester, European Union President Romano Prodi said that the distance between what was happening in the heavily-guarded summit building and what was happening outside on the streets "is really a problem."

He echoed Berlusconi's worries, saying: "We've really got to start thinking about the summit process."

Italian President Carlo Ciampi, while hosting a dinner in honor of the G-8 leaders, said Friday night that the G-8 summit, which he believed was at the crucial moment, should open a new horizon to all people for their benefits and peace.

French President Jacques Chirac suggested that the G-8 summit increase and strengthen dialogue with civic groups.

Berlusconi proposed that a mechanism of dialogue with civic groups be established at the next G-8 summit, which will be held in a Canadian city. "In conclusion, the reform of the G-8 process is a pressing issue for the heads of state and government," he added.

The protesters demand an end to uncontrolled globalization, which they say makes the rich countries richer and the poor countries poorer, and an immediate and complete cancellation of debts of the developing countries, especially the least developed countries.

The world leaders argue that more global trade is the best way of economic development for all countries, including the poor countries.

Four African leaders and one Asian leader have been invited to the current G-8 summit to discuss poverty alleviation and a multi- billion-dollar global health fund that has been created to help developing countries combat the AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and save millions of lives a year.

But the activists say that the rich Western countries have not done enough to help developing countries and they should write off Third World debts completely.

As a possible way of the trouble, some Western academicians also proposed G-8 enlargement to include some major developing countries to correct its image of a "rich men's club."

On Saturday, Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero said the question of G-8 reform has been on the mind of the world leaders " for some time."

The way to manage world affairs "cannot be improved without the participation of the developing countries and also the poor countries."

Quoting Berlusconi's spokesperson, the Italian news agency ANSA said that the Italian prime minister would hold a press conference later Saturday to address the issue of summit reform.

The proposals Berlusconi will table include the institutionalization of dialogue with trade unions, employers, religious and volunteer groups and non-profit organizations.

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, whose country will host the next G-8 summit, joined other leaders, calling for streamlining the G-8 format.

Speaking at a press conference Saturday afternoon, he said: "We 've got to change the format. These summits have gotten too big, the final statements are very lengthy and we've got to cut down on the size of the delegations."

He hinted that Canada will select a small town far from big cities to host the G-8 summit in 2002 to avoid what happened in Genoa.