World leaders began to fly in to the German Baltic resort of Heiligendamm Wednesday morning for the three-day summit of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations, due to open in the evening.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Italian Prime minister Romano Prodi and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived at the Rostock-Laage airport around noon before being ferried by helicopter to the G8 venue, Heiligendamm.

U.S. President George W. Bush flew in to Heiligendamm from the Czech capital Prague Tuesday, and had a lunch Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is chairing the three-day gathering of the world’s major economic powers.

Following their lunch, Merkel said she is optimistic over possible progress to be made on the key issue of climate change at the summit.

She told reporters that there is a good chance for the G8 to find a common ground on climate change, but there will also be intensive talks on some details.

The G8 consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

The other G8 leaders are expected to be in Heiligendamm in the afternoon.

As the countdown to the summit approaches its end, helicopters are hovering above Heiligendamm, with 12 of them over one of the entrances to the resort town.

The German government has mobilized more than 16,000 police officers to be stationed around Heiligendamm in a bid to have a perfect G8 summit. A 12-km steel fence has been built around the venue.

Nevertheless, some 6,000 anti-globalization protesters evaded police road-blocks Wednesday morning and approached the fence around the summit venue in defiance of a police ban.

Later, German police used tear-gas and water cannon to disperse protesters at the fence, and also off Highway 105, which runs past Heiligendamm at a distance of about 6 km. Police said they took action after being stoned by protesters.

Earlier, a rail line used by a veteran steam train was also blocked. The line connects Kuehlungsborn, where the press centre for the summit is located, with Heiligendamm.

Kuehlungsborn, a Baltic resort of 8,000 residents, has been “invaded” by more than 4,000 journalists and 1,000 police officers.

Under the theme of “Growth and Responsibility,” the G8 summit will focus on climate change, development in Africa, the Doha Round talks of the World Trade Organization, the U.S. plan to deploy a missile defense shield in Central Europe, and possibly the Middle East situation, the Iranian nuclear issue and Kosovo.

In addition to talks among themselves, the leaders of the world’s major economic powers are scheduled to have two outreach sessions, one with five major developing countries — Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa, and the other with African countries — Algeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.

Protests and related violence have a tradition of stealing the show prior to the G8 annual meetings.

On Saturday, demonstrations in Rostock, 25 km from Heiligendamm, turned into riots with more than 400 police officers and around 1,000 protestors injured in the port city. Cars were burned and windows smashed.

information from : news.xinhuanet.com

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