President Bush Arrives in Calgary, Canada

President Bush has arrived in Calgary, Canada, to attend the annual summit of the leaders of the seven major industrial countries and Russia. The summit of the Group of Eight will be held for two days in a remote mountain resort located west of Calgary. The leaders of the eight countries will discuss critical and urgent issues such as terrorism, the Middle East, and poverty in Africa, starting today. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien chose this mountain resort to hold the summit to prevent the presence of protesters. Mr. Bush is scheduled to hold separate talks with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien of Canada and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. The annual summit of the Group of Eight is typically convened to discuss the global economy. A plan regarding economic aid and investment in Africa is part of this year's agenda. The economic situation in Asia, Europe, and America will also be examined. However, it is expected that discussions will be overshadowed by President Bush's remarks on Monday, in which he called for new leadership for the Palestinians to pave the way for peace in the Middle East. So far, some newspapers in France, Germany, and Italy have reacted negatively to the U.S. President's proposal, while a major newspaper in London has supported Mr. Bush. It is anticipated that Western European leaders will push for the formation of an international conference for peace in the Middle East. President Bush has expressed his support for this plan but has not set a date for the conference. The Group of Eight consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, and Russia.