Bush, Merkel meet at summit
Progress slow on climate issue
TOYAKO, Japan - President Bush and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany pledged today to keep working together on common problems, but progress appeared slow on reaching a consensus on climate change as the Group of Eight major economies tackled that and other knotty global issues.
Merkel expressed optimism as the two leaders met with reporters after a one-on-one meeting before today's summit session.
"I'm very satisfied with the work that has gone on on the G-8 documents, as regards progress on the issue of climate change, cooperation in the area of food and oil," she said.
She cited "a very interesting exchange of view, very intensive exchange of view." Merkel also said she hoped that international trade negotiators could make progress on restarting long-stalled trade liberalization talks "over the next few weeks to come."
Bush was more terse after the meeting, not mentioning global warming but telling reporters: "We talked about a lot of common problems, and a lot of common opportunities. We talked about the G-8. We talked about the need to work - continue to work together on Iran."
He told Merkel he valued her friendship and advice and called her "a constructive force for good."
The two met just before G-8 members plunged into a discussion about the major problems on the agenda: deciding whether to set new targets for reducing emissions that contribute to global warming, and deciding what to do about rising food and oil prices.
The summit partners appeared close to a deal for using international food reserves to help the poorest countries cope with soaring grain prices. But divisions remain on climate change that pitted older, more established economies like those in the Group of Eight with fast-rising economies like China and India.
Beyond the climate-change standoff, Bush's proposal to base a missile defense system in Eastern Europe was rebuffed yesterday by Russia's new president, Dimitry Medvedev. And Bush failed to achieve a consensus among African leaders on sanctions against the government of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe to protest his widely condemned reelection last month after his opposition-party rival dropped out, fearful for his life.
"You know I care deeply about the people of Zimbabwe," Bush told reporters after a meeting yesterday with African leaders who were invited to meet with summit partners. "I'm extremely disappointed in the elections, which I labeled a sham election."
Separately, Merkel said earlier that Mugabe's election was not legitimate. "As for us in Germany, we do not rule out further sanctions," she said, adding that many other G-8 nations feel the same way.
But African nations are deeply divided, with many reluctant to put public pressure on Mugabe despite UN and Western calls for tough action.
"There were differences. Not all leaders are there yet in terms of sanctions," said Dan Price, a White House national security aide.
The big issue on today's agenda was climate change. Merkel is one of the G-8's strongest advocates for tough reductions in the emissions that contribute to global warming.
The G-8 - the United States, Japan, Russia, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Canada - takes up the subject in earnest today. Tomorrow, the leaders of these countries will be joined by eight other big-polluting "major economy" nations that are not members, including China and India, to see if a wider agreement is possible. 