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As leaders of the world's wealthiest nations began gathering Wednesday to focus on relieving African debt, protesters smashed car windows and stoned police in an attempt to disrupt the summit. The more than 100 activists, many covering their faces with bandanas and wearing hoods, also attempted to block one of the main roads to the summit resort in Gleneagles, Scotland.
Police cancelled a planned protest earlier Wednesday due to public safety, but said hours later that they would let protesters march to the edge of the G8 summit venue. Armoured police formed a chain across the closed main highway to Gleneagles as Tony Blair, George W. Bush and other leaders arrived at the post golf resort of Gleneagles. G8 leaders and their aides have begun their three-day meeting behind closed doors to discuss Africa and climate change, the two main focus of this year's summit. Bush cleared the way for compromise when he pledged last week to double US support for Africa to more than US$8.6 billion by 2010. Bush warned that he would emphasize the need for African nations to commit to good governance. "I don't know how we can look our taxpayers in the eye and say, this is a good deal to give money to countries that are corrupt," he said. Bush added that the United States is interested in helping people and cancelling any debt, but wants to make sure "the governments invest in their people, invest in the health of their people, the education of their people and fight corruption." Sir Michael Jay, Blair's representative in the discussions, called the negotiations "pretty intense." He predicted the G8 would reach an accord that recognized the problem and the need to combat it. Another key issue is also on developing a plan to curb emissions of greenhouse gases, with US officials lobbying against setting any specific goals for emission reductions as called for in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The United States, the only G8 country that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, has said further study is needed about scientific findings on climate change. Blair is expected to focus the debate on gaining support for emission controls in China, which is the world's second biggest producer of greenhouse gases after the United States. The G8 leaders are also expected to endorse a deal to wipe out US$40 billion in debt which 18 poor countries—14 of them in Africa—owe international lending agencies, including the World Bank.
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