Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi addresses end-of-year News Conference
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Addressing the end-of-year news conference at the Villa Madama on 20 December, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi mapped out the course the Italian G8 Presidency is planning to pursue in 2009. Mr. Berlusconi explained that the G8 member countries' task will be to ensure the governance of the world's economy at a very trying time, and to do so in accordance with the guidelines laid down at the recent G20 Summit in Washington.
Mr. Berlusconi went on to highlight the climate of excellent cooperation that the Summit tends to foster; and this, he argued, encourages dialogue among the leaders and allows them to reach important decisions.
Reviewing the stages of the Summit's expansion from a G7 to a G8 group, Mr. Berlusconi underscored the fact that the meeting, due to be held at the Maddalena in July, will prepare to welcome India, China, Egypt, South Africa, Mexico and Brazil as of its second day, while a further four countries will be joining the talks on the third day. In that connection, Mr. Berlusconi announced that he will soon be embarking on a series of meetings with the leaders of all the countries involved, in order to work with them on the issues to be addressed at the July Summit.
