French Delegation in L'Aquila To Visit the New G8 Summit Venue
18/05/09
Foreign delegations are continuing to conduct their preparatory visits to the area where the G8 Summit is now due to be held following the decision to move the summit's venue from La Maddalena to L'Aquila. The Guardia di Finanza Non-Commissioned Officers' School in Coppito, where the Summit is to be held in its entirety, was visited today by the 17 members of the French delegation led by Elysée Palace Protocol Chief Jean Pierre Asvazadourian.
After an initial briefing to illustrate the organizational and logistical aspects of the G8 Summit, the Elysée Palace delegates conducted an inspection of the various areas in which the summit will be taking place, and of the area adjacent to the Non-Commissioned Officers' School where the Media Centre is to be set up. The delegation then split into a number of different working groups to address various aspects relating to security, to the media, to telecommunications and to logistics. Attending the meeting devoted to health care, Alain Courtiol, who heads up the French president's medical service, voiced his complete satisfaction with the health plan prepared by the G8 Mission Structure for the days on which the summit is to be held in July.
The French delegation subsequently moved to L'Aquila's historical centre to visit the areas damaged in the earthquake. Representatives from Sweden, which will be holding the European Union duty presidency as of next July, are expected to arrive in L'Aquila tomorrow, Tuesday 19 May.
