World leaders in Italy for summit
L'AQUILA, July 10 Reuters) - Following are comments by world leaders on the final day of a summit involving around 30 nations.
CANADA PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER
"I am not suggesting that any country begin to unwind its economic stimulus measures now. That would clearly be way too premature. I have suggested that those that are seeing the emergence of these structural deficits...have to at least be thinking about how they are going to emerge out of a structural deficit position as the recovery begins to take hold. This may be something we're discussing -- I hope we're discussing -- next year (at the G8 summit) in Muskoka. I'm hoping that by next year in Muskoka that the recovery will be fully under way... Right now we have greater stability. We don't yet have full recovery...We have definite signs the severity of the recession is slowing."
SOUTH AFRICA'S JACOB ZUMA
"It has been really good news -- the good news from the summit -- that the united states said $20 billion on a very specific program: the issue of agriculture, particularly food security. ..We can't say it's enough, but at least it begins to do very concrete things. We all appreciated what President Obama did"
CANADA PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER
"The G8 in our judgment remains an important forum. It is a forum of the major developed countries..."
"Obviously we have to develop a wider body that will be more representative...What we had at this forum...I counted, at one point we had a G8, we had a G9, we had a G14 or 15, we had a G18, at one point a G19, another point a G25, and we finally ended with a G28. And of course we have the G20 process going on around the world, which is now up to G24 last time I counted. So I think our challenge for the year ahead will be to use our presidency to bring some coherence to this as we move forward."
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DMITRY MEDVEDEV Continued...



