(Yonhap Interview) G-20 unlikely to result in scaled back role of G-8: Italian envoy

By Lee Youkyung
SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- The G-20, an emerging global economic forum, is not
likely to reduce the role of the G-8, the old club of eight wealthy nations, as
the two meetings are designed to address different global issues, the Italian
ambassador to South and North Korea said Thursday.
"The G-20 was born and it is willing and able to live and the G-8 is not dead, so
it will also continue to live." Massimo Andrea Leggeri, Italian ambassador to
South and North Korea, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "While they
are both living, they will have to cooperate."
The G-20 consists of the G-8 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan
and the United States and Russia -- plus Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China,
India, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and
Turkey.
Since 2008 when it was held for the first time in Washington to combat the global
financial crisis, the G-20 summit has expanded its role as the foremost global
meeting for economic cooperation, calling for further contribution from emerging
countries.
The upcoming G-20 summits in Canada and in South Korea this year will start
discussing the role of the G-20 in the post-economic crisis era.
"It was a good response to the emergency of the crisis," he said of the G-20
summit. "But the emergency is over now."
In contrast to the G-20 summit, the G-8 has been aimed at building consensus on a
range of global issues including energy security and nuclear non-proliferation,
the top envoy said.
"It is clear that not all problems require same kind of grouping," the Italian
diplomat said. "G-20 is something different from the G-8 plus five."
The five refers to five developing countries--Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and
South Africa -- which have participated in the G-8 meeting as guests.
During the two G-20 summits held in 2009, Italy, as G-8 chair at the time, worked
closely with all countries at both summits, he added.
"We worked very closely at the time with British presidency of the G-20 and then
the American presidency to ensure coherence in the work," said Leggeri. The G-20
summit was held in April of last year in Britain and in September in the U.S.
The L'Aquilla G-8 summit hosted by Italy last year, also invited emerging
countries such as South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Denmark, and Angola among
others, to listen to their voices on issues of climate change, food security and
trade.
"Italy is always of the idea that we must have inclusive group, not exclusive
group," said Leggeri.
However, the nature of the collaboration between two groups is still "a work in
progress." Both the G-8 and the G-20 also face a challenge of rethinking their
roles in the changing global landscape, according to the Italian envoy to Seoul.
"It is important for the G-20 to give concrete confirmation of its ability to
play the role for which it was created and possibly, beyond it," said the
ambassador.
"Even the G-8 countries are perfectly aware that we have to work for many issues
beyond the G-8," he added.
Italy established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 2000, but did not set
up its embassy in Pyongyang. The top Italian envoy to Seoul concurrently serves
as an ambassador to North Korea.
ylee@yna.co.kr
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