23rd G8 summit: Difference between revisions
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==Leaders at the Summit== |
==Leaders at the Summit== |
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The composition of the G8 summit is a perennial topic. The G8 summits after 1997 considered the [[President of the European Commission]] as a permanently welcome participant in all meetings and decision-making, which means that this G8 summit has nine essential participants.<ref name="reuters_what"/> |
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*{{flagicon|Canada}} '''[[Canada]]''' - [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|Canada}} '''[[Canada]]''' - [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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*{{flagicon|France}} '''[[France]]''' - [[President of France|President]] [[Jacques Chirac]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|France}} '''[[France]]''' - [[President of France|President]] [[Jacques Chirac]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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*{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''[[United Kingdom]]''' - [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''[[United Kingdom]]''' - [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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*{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[United States]]''' - [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
*{{flagicon|USA}} '''[[United States]]''' - [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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*{{flagicon|EU}} '''[[European Union]]'''<!-- EU has full membership of G8 aside from the burden or hosting summits, see [[G8]] page. --> - [[President of the European Commission|President]] [[Jacques Santer]]<ref>G8 Research Group: [http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/summit/1997denver/delegation.htm Delegations;] {{cite web| url = http://www.deljpn.ec.europa.eu/union/showpage_en_union.external.g8.php| title = EU and the G8| accessdate = 2007-09-25| publisher = European Commission}}</ref> and [[Wim Kok]].<ref name="j-mofa1"/> |
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==Priorities== |
==Priorities== |
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Revision as of 21:45, 10 April 2009
| 23rd G8 summit | |
|---|---|
 23rd G8 summit official logo | |
| Host country | United States |
| Dates | July 20-22 |
The 23rd G8 summit was held from June 20 to June 22 1997 in Denver, Colorado. The venue for this summit meeting was the newly constructed Denver Public Library in downtown Denver.[1] The locations of previous G8 summits to have been hosted by the United States include: San Juan, Puerto Rico (1976); Williamsburg, Virginia (1983); and Houston, Texas.
The Group of Seven (G7) was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada starting in 1976. The G8, meeting for the first time in 1997, was formed with the addition of Russia.[2] In addition, the President of the European Commission has been formally included in summits since 1981.[3] The summits were not meant to be linked formally with wider international institutions; and in fact, a mild rebellion against the stiff formality of other international meetings was a part of the genesis of cooperation between France's President Giscard d'Estaing and Germany's Chancellor Helmut Schmidt as they conceived the initial summit of the Group of Six (G6) in 1975.[4]
Leaders at the Summit
Permanent G8 participants
Canada - Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.[1]
France - President Jacques Chirac.[1]
Germany - Chancellor Helmut Kohl.[1]
Italy - Prime Minister Romano Prodi.[1]
Japan - Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto.[1]
Russia - President Boris Yeltsin.[1]
United Kingdom - Prime Minister Tony Blair.[1]
United States - President Bill Clinton.[1]
Priorities
Traditionally, the host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda for negotiations, which take place primarily amongst multi-national civil servants in the weeks before the summit itself, leading to a joint declaration which all countries can agree to sign.
Issues
The summit was intended as a venue for resolving differences among its members. As a practical matter, the summit was also conceived as an opportunity for its members to give each other mutual encouragement in the face of difficult economic decisions.[4]
Accomplishments
A tangible legacy of this summit the Denver Public Library's main building, in which an existing library was merged into a "masterful composition of new forms". The library has become recognized as one of Denver's city icons.[5] The dramatic post-modern structure was designed by architect Michael Graves.[6] The building was initially used as the summit site; and afterward, it was opened to the public as the city's central library.[7]
The appearance of Boris Yelsin representing Russia as part of the G8 was transformative. Yelsin himself said, "I want very much for it to be written: 'Denver conclusively agrees that the G-7 is transformed into a G-8.'"[8]
Business opportunity
For some, the G8 summit became a profit-generating event; as for example, the official G8 Summit magazines which have been published under the auspices of the host nations for distribution to all attendees since 1998.[9] The special dining opportunities for the summit attendees were created by chefs hired especially for this occasion. One notable dinner offered buffalo, trout and fried squash blossoms filled with wild mushrooms and rattlesnake meat;[10] and years later, Denver's Brown Palace featured an opportunity to taste the same entrée served on the final evening of the G8 Summit in Denver in 1997 -- "pan seared Colorado bison medallions with whiskey-tortilla sauce."[11]
Denver's "Summit of the Eight" planned ahead to ensure that sensitive documents won't fall into the wrong hands because everyone attending will have the option of shredding any documents before discarding them. The summit organizers leased more than 25 new paper shredders from a Denver company that sells, services and leases the machines -- and this was the largest order of its kind for the small local business.[12]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA): Summit Meetings in the Past.
- ^ Saunders, Doug. "Weight of the world too heavy for G8 shoulders," Globe and Mail (Toronto). July 5, 2008.
- ^ Reuters: "Factbox: The Group of Eight: what is it?", July 3, 2008.
- ^ a b Reinalda, Bob and Bertjan Verbeek. (1998). Autonomous Policy Making by International Organizations, p. 205.
- ^ Mack, Linda. "Children's Theatre design fails to soar; The $27 million addition to the Children's Theatre in Minneapolis will enlarge its creative capacity but doesn't add to the Twin Cities' architectural legacy<" (Star Tribune (Minneapolis). October 23, 2005.
- ^ "Graves deserves it," Denver Post. December 7, 2000;
- ^ Bount, Donald and Emily Narvaes. "Denver library looms as likely summit host," Denver Post. April 15, 1997.
- ^ AP: "In Denver, Yeltsin enjoyed a shining moment at G-8 summit," Rocky Mountain Collegian (Fort Collins, Colorado). April 24, 2007.
- ^ Prestige Media: "official" G8 Summit magazine
- ^ CNN: Summit leaders take on the world's problems
- ^ 2008 VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau: "The Brown Palace Offers 'Democratic Dishes.'" August 12, 2008.
- ^ "Shredders distributed for action," Denver Post. June 20, 1997.
References
- Bayne, Nicholas and Robert D. Putnam. (2000). Hanging in There: The G7 and G8 Summit in Maturity and Renewal. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing. 10-ISBN 0-754-61185-X; 13-ISBN 978-0-754-61185-1; OCLC 43186692
- Reinalda, Bob and Bertjan Verbeek. (1998). Autonomous Policy Making by International Organizations. London: Routledge. 10-ISBN 0-415-16486-9; 13-ISBN 978-0-415-16486-3
External links
- Official G8 website: Denver summit, 1997; n.b., no official website is created for any G7 summit prior to 1995 -- see the 21st G7 summit.
- University of Toronto: G8 Research Group, G8 Information Centre
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