G-8 summit to confirm measures to ensure economic recovery: official

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TOKYO, July 6 Kyodo -
Leaders of the Group of Eight major industrial powers will confirm measures
needed to ensure a recent upturn in global economic activity when they get
together in Italy from Wednesday, a senior Foreign Ministry official has said.
But the leaders will also need to make sure that protectionist policies should
be avoided in light of increasing moves to raise import tariffs, Yoichi Suzuki,
head of the Economic Affairs Bureau at the ministry, said during a recent
interview with Kyodo News ahead of the three-day G-8 summit through Friday.
Referring to the stalled Doha Round of trade liberalization talks under the
World Trade Organization, Suzuki said it will be ''meaningful'' if the summit
calls for an early settlement of the negotiations in the wake of the global
financial crisis.
''Historically, trade liberalization talks make headway when trade contracts in
the face of an economic downturn,'' he said.
Suzuki also called for the leaders of the G-8 powers -- Britain, Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- to exercise
their leadership toward creating an international framework for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol that expires in
2012.
It will be a focus whether a momentum will be created at the G-8 summit to have
emerging and other developing economies participate in a new pact, he said.
Suzuki also downplayed criticism about declining presence of G-8 gatherings in
the international community. ''It's the G-8 that has led discussions toward
solutions,'' although it is useful to have opportunities to bring together
emerging countries as well such as the financial summit of Group of 20 major
advanced and emerging economies, he said.
''The G-8 will continue to play a major role,'' Suzuki said.
==Kyodo