SAINT PETERSBURG (AFX) - Following is an at-a-glance guide to the main points from the G8 summit on Saturday and Sunday. The summit concludes on Monday.
TRADE
- Leaders called for urgent action to unblock the stalled Doha world trade negotiations and confirmed that they have given WTO negotiators one month to reach broad agreement on key figures in the talks.
- They called on WTO director general Pascal Lamy to report back on his consultations with WTO members as soon as possible 'with the aim of facilitating agreement on negotiating modalities on agriculture and industrial tariffs within a month'.
- EU Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU is ready to make further efforts to get a deal in the trade talks, providing that other trading powers at the G8 summit are also prepared to move.
- French President Jacques Chirac called for the US and major emerging economies to make efforts to secure progress in the stalled WTO world trade talks, saying that the EU had already reached the limits of what it can offer.
ENERGY
- G8 leaders pledged to promote 'open, transparent' energy markets.
- They said high and volatile oil prices and growing energy demand represent serious challenges, which call for a strengthening of the relationships between producers, consumers and transit countries.
- Applying fair and market-based responses to global energy challenges will help avoid potentially disruptive actions against energy sources, supplies and transit, they said.
-They also said they would work to reduce barriers to energy investment and trade, including steps to enable energy producing and consuming countries to invest in and acquire upstream and downstream assets internationally.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin called for Russian companies to be allowed to operate in the UK on the same basis as those from Britain.
- Putin noted that commercial activity from the UK was growing and his remarks come at a time when there is market speculation that Russian energy giant Gazprom is ready to bid for British gas supply firm Centrica.
- Barroso said the EU needs to increase the diversity of its energy sources and be less dependent on imports of Russian gas.
- He said the EU is expected to depend on imports for 70 pct of its gas by 2030 compared with 50 pct currently.
MIDDLE EAST
- G8 leaders agreed a statement on the Middle East, setting out conditions for an end to recent hostilities.
- The statement said the recent crisis 'results from efforts by extremist forces to destabilise the region and to frustrate the aspirations of the Palestinian, Israeli and Lebanese people for democracy and peace'.
- Israel was told to end military operations, withdraw troops and free jailed Palestinian politicians. The militants were ordered to stop shelling Israeli territory and return kidnapped Israeli soldiers unharmed.
- Earlier British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the first time accused Iran and Syria of causing the latest crisis in the Middle East.
NORTH KOREA
- G8 leaders agreed to send a 'clear message' condemning North Korea's missile tests, a Japanese government official said.
- The G8 agreed on the action after the United Nations Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution denouncing North Korea's recent test launches and calling for the suspension of its ballistic missile programme.
EU ARMS EMBARGO ON CHINA
- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi renewed his strong opposition to EU plans to lift its ban on arms sales to China during his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the summit.
-According to a Japanese translation Merkel replied: 'I understand your concern. The EU should be cautious about lifting the arms embargo.'
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
- G8 leaders called for cuts in tariffs on drugs in order to counter the spread of infectious diseases in developing countries.
- 'We encourage governments around the world to consider eliminating import tariffs and non-tariff barriers on medicines and medical devices, where appropriate, as a measure to reduce further the cost of healthcare for the poor, and expand their access to effective treatments,' the leaders said in a statement issued at their summit here.
SIBERIA-PACIFIC PIPELINE PROJECT
- Russia President Vladimir Putin said it would be 'inappropriate' to offer state guarantees sought by Japan on the Siberia-Pacific pipeline project.
- 'The Japanese want an inter-governmental accord, while we consider this to be a commercial project. It is inappropriate to give state guarantees,' Putin said.
RUSSIA WTO ENTRY
- US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said she expects an agreement between the US and Russia on Russia's accession to the WTO in 'two to three months'.
- 'Obviously, the issues that are left at the end of the negotiations are the ones that are the thorniest, but yes, these could be resolved and there could be a bilateral agreement,' perhaps as early as September, she told reporters.
- US President George W. Bush and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin earlier acknowledged that their negotiators had been unable to reach an agreement ahead of the summit.
AFRICA
- G8 leaders said they had made 'good progress' on debt relief but disappointed aid agencies by announcing no major new initiatives.
- In a statement, the leaders pledged to pursue existing efforts to shore up democracy, support aid work, increase debt relief and help Africa achieve a fair trade balance. newsdesk@afxnews.com fp/sw COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited