San Francisco (Obama.net)- In Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the President of the United States of America Barack Obama met with the leaders of seven other wealthy nations in the world. The nations included England, Italy, Germany, Canada, France, Japan, Russia, and the United States. These eight states came together prior to the larger meeting of the G20 nations.
The majority of the meeting, which took place over the course of two days, had to do with the hope for a quick recovery from the economic problems the world has been facing over recent years.
However, the most noticeable statement from the summit came at the end. In it, the leaders of the richest nations of the world made clear their disapproval of the actions of both Iran and North Korea.
The chief area of concern for North Korea was the March 26th attack on Cheonan, the navy ship of South Korea. The G8 leaders said, “We demand that the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea refrain from committing any attacks or threatening hostilities against the Republic of Korea.”
Furthermore, the nuclear weapons programs of not only North Korea, but also Iran were addressed. The leaders demanded that both states end all nuclear programs and anything to do with them. Specifically for Iran, the G8 leaders want Iran to also stop enriching uranium. They also want to talk to the leaders of Iran to reach agreements to end the nuclear programs.
The statement also spoke about Israel. The G8 leaders expressed their desire for Israel and Palestine to come together for peace talks that can finally reach a final resolution. The leaders are pleased with recent Israeli policies to improve relations, but still feel that full-fledged peace talks are what is needed.
The recent treaty between Russia and the United States to lessen the world supply of nuclear weapons was also praised as it would lead to higher levels of international safety for the people of the world.
Also discussed were issues of pirates in South America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Most important for President Obama was the topic of the economy. Obama has a high concern with the likelihood of uncontrollable deficits becoming the norm if nothing is done about them soon.
Obama spoke with David Cameron, the new Prime Minister of England. Obama said that after a lengthy discussion, the two made it clear to each other that the world needs “long-term sustainable growth that puts people to work.”
Cameron also chimed in his opinion on the BP Oil Spill. The Prime Minister said that British Petroleum “has an obligation to stop the leak, clean up the spill, and pay legitimate claims.”
As the leaders of the wealthiest countries in the world came together for another meeting in this crucial point in global politics, it was great to see that all eight are on the same page when it comes to nuclear weapons and the economy, as well as the safety of the world. If these nations are able to work together in the near future as they plan, recovery for the world in all aspects has a high potential of coming into fruition.
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