G8 summit ends with few tangible results
- By Sun Hao
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E-mail Xinhua, May 20, 2012
United concern, some say no
The leaders of G8 said on Saturday that they remain united in their "grave concern" over Iran's disputed nuclear program, while urging Teheran to address such concerns without delay.
The G8 summit was held just days ahead of the next round of talks on Iran's nuclear program due on May 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, which will be attended by five G8 nations -- Germany, France, Russia, Britain and the United States -- as well as China.
The first round of talks, held in Istanbul, Turkey, in April, ended on a positive note which eased the rising tensions between Teheran and the U.S.-led West that threatened to resort to armed confrontation.
The G8 leaders welcomed the resumption of the talks, but urged Iran "to seize the opportunity" to resolve the dispute, by engaging in detailed discussions about near-term, concrete steps that can lead toward a comprehensive negotiated solution, the G8 declaration added.
Obama said that G8 leaders "are firmly committed to continuing with the approach of sanctions and pressure in combination with diplomatic discussions."
The United States has imposed tough economic sanctions on Teheran in an attempt to persuade it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Washington warns could lead to military strikes by the U.S. and its allies, especially Israel.
However, given the rather vague and much watered-down statement, it is unclear what tangible or new progress has been made at the G8 summit on the Iran nuclear talks and the Syrian crisis, which were a main part of the event's agenda.
Moreover, the Kremlin had said on Thursday that Russia would work to exclude Syria and Iran from the declaration of the G8 summit. Analysts believe that such a statement, plus the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has made it hard for the summit to achieve a breakthrough on the issue.
Bruce Jones, a senior fellow with the Brookings Instituion, said: "Putin is signaling a firmer stance, a tougher stance on thorny issues" including the missile defense talks, as well as the Iran and Syria issues.
In the world of G20
Apparently, the Obama administration wanted to make this G8 summit a low-key one with low expectations.
Analysts believed that a potential lack of tangible results could be the reasons why the G8 summit was taking place in such a low-key.
Conley suggested that in a way G8 is seemingly getting back to its original spirit of the creation of G5 or G6 in the mid-70s amid the oil shocks and great uncertainty over the global economy.
"You have a group of like-minded, value-based leaders that are trying to have an intimate conversation to understand where this is going," she said.
The G8 summit was originally planned to be held alongside the NATO summit in Chicago. White House officials said holding the G8 summit at the exclusive presidential retreat is meant to give leaders "an intimate environment" to discuss key problems.
CSIS expert Matthew Goodman acknowledged that there was some real soul-searching about whether the G8 was really worthwhile in the world of the G20, but he insisted that G8 still played "a niche role" in the world architecture he dubbed as "G-eometry."
"This (Obama) administration has made a clear commitment to the G20 as the place to resolve international economic issues first and foremost," he said. "So I think it (G8) won't ever play the role it once played."
Another CSIS expert Stephen Flanagan noted that Putin's absence from the G8 summit also signaled that "the G20 fits Russia's vision of the future world order of a more multipolar world much better."
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