Leaders of the G-8 countries, who are gathering at the scenic Camp David presidential retreat, will discuss the current situation in Burma, among the key global issues, over dinner on Friday night, a top White House official said.
“We expect that the leaders will discuss North Korea, and discuss Burma,” the US National Security Advisor, Tom Donilon, told reporters at a crowded White House news conference.
Donilon’s remarks came moments after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met her Burmese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, during which she announced easing of investment sanctions in Burma.
“There’s been remarkable progress in Burma, and the leaders will want to engage on this I think on Friday evening. Burma is at the start of a long but promising path towards democracy. And you should know the President’s made this a top priority,” Donilon said.
G-8, as it is called, is an exclusive group of the top eight economic nations of the world. It is made up of the leaders of the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is not attending the summit. Instead, he is to be represented by his predecessor and prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev.
In addition, Obama has invited four African leaders—Presidents Yayi Boni of Benin, John Atta Mills of Ghana, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia—to join food security talks.
