Wide range of issues to be discussed in G8 Summit

ROME: A wide range of issues will be discussed during the Group of Eight (G8)summit and outreach sessions to be held on July 8-10 in the central Italian city of L'Aquila, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.

In a recent interview ahead of the summit, Frattini said that on top of the meetings' agenda are the global financial crisis, climate change, Africa and developing countries, food security and non-proliferation.

Frattini believed that a global rule is needed to deal with the global financial crisis.

"Our idea is to have a principal agreement on unified financial standards at a global scale and to transform it to practical regulations," he said.

"We will have this summit in L'Aquila as an intermediate step between the G20 London Summit and G20 Pittsburgh summit due in September -- G8 will decide principles and G20 will translate principles into concrete regulations like reforming the World Bank or reforming the International Monetary Fund," the minister added.

On climate change, Frattini said he wished the major industrialized nations could reach consensus at the summit to pave the way for the Copenhagen negotiation for post-Kyoto Protocol agreement to be held in Denmark in December.

Africa and developing countries would be another main topic. "We want to transform Africa into a new opportunity in terms of natural resources, environment protection and new industry jobs. These are three main priorities that would be under discussion," Frattini said.

The foreign minister stressed the importance of China in Africa. "China attaches greatest importance to the African continent and plays a very important role. That is why we believe the Chinese role could be particularly important to help poor countries, in particular African countries," he said.

Frattini also touched on his country's strategy for aid to Africa. "Our strategies will be no reduction, better accountability, results-oriented policy in which human beings are centered."