Prime Minister Jean Chretien has squeezed this year's G-8 summit into just two days, but the costs will likely remain high due to the post-Sept. 11 terrorist threat.
Security costs are expected to create costly international conferences, despite the fact Chretien has whittled the usually extensive agenda into two days.
"If you say post-September 11 international meetings are expensive, you bet they are," Robert Fowler, Chretien's G-8 representative or "sherpa," told media yesterday after draft agendas were released.
"After September 11, it's something you absolutely can't compromise on. There are people out there who are prepared at enormous risk to themselves to do incalculable harm to others, particularly people like the G-8 leaders."
Chretien is expected to arrive in Calgary on Tuesday, one day before the Kananaskis summit begins.
Welcoming receptions and bilateral meetings between pairs of countries are expected to take place that afternoon and evening.
German leader Gerhard Schroeder is expected to arrive Monday, while the leaders of the U.S., U.K., France and Japan are expected Tuesday.
Italian and Russian leaders are expected early Wednesday, as are representatives of the European Union and European Commission.
Wednesday morning will see more bilateral meeting with heads of state and officials, while G-7 leaders -- everyone but Russia -- begin discussions on global economic growth, with Vladimir Putin expected to join the talks later that morning.
Terrorism is expected to first be discussed over lunch, followed by the release of the outcomes on terrorism and the first G-8 working group. Thursday morning begins with the second G-8 working session, with African leaders and United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan arriving mid-morning.
The entire day Thursday is expected to be devoted to the situation in Africa, where 30 million children are dying of AIDS and hundreds of millions of people live below the international poverty line of $1 US a day.
Annan, Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade, South African President Thabo Mbeki, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika have been invited to discuss the Africa Action Plan.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NoNonsense English offers this material non-commercially for research and educational purposes. I believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, i.e. the media service or newspaper which first published the article online and which is indicated at the top of the article unless otherwise specified.