CALGARY -(Dow Jones)- As President George W. Bush arrived in Calgary for the start of the Group of Eight industrialized nations' summit meeting, White House officials conceded that his Middle East peace plan, which he unveiled Monday, will inevitably become part of the meeting's already broad agenda.
"The G8 summit...is going to be focused on the war against terror, development in Africa and economic issues such as trade. I would not be surprised if the leaders discuss with the president their thoughts about his speech. And from all early indications, the response has been positive," White House spokesman Ari Flesicher said.
The G8 nations are the U.S. , France , Canada , U.K., Germany , Italy , Japan and Russia .
On Monday, Bush said the U.S. would back the creation of a Palestinian state but only if the Palestinians undertook major reforms first, such as electing new leaders, ending terror attacks and developing the institutions of a democratic society.
Bush arrived in Calgary after making a detour to Arizona where he spoke to families that have been displaced by the massive wildfires there. He made no comments when he got off Air Force One and was quickly whisked by helicopter to the remote resort village of Kananaskis, Canada , where the G8 leaders will meet.
Bush will hold one-on-one meetings with the other seven leaders beginning Tuesday evening, when he sits down with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and then holds a second meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
The summit will formally open Wednesday, with the traditional series on working meetings. But, in an unusual move, the summit will be expanded on Thursday when the G8 leaders sit down with several African leaders and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In another break from past practices, the Canadians decided to stage the summit in a remote setting in Canada 's Rocky Mountains. The decision came after violent demonstrations in Genoa at last year's summit left one demonstrator dead and much of the city vandalized.
At this year's meeting, demonstrators will be barred from the summit site but are expected to stage protests in Calgary , which is about 60 miles from the summit site.
The summit, the first since Sept. 11 , is being held under unprecedented security arrangements, including the temporary closure of the airspace around the summit site.
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