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G-8 vows unity on rebuilding Iraq
EVIAN, France -- The Group of Eight leaders have ended their annual summit with a pledge to work together to rebuild Iraq and a warning to Iran and North Korea not to develop nuclear weapons. In their four-page closing statement, the leaders of the world's seven richest countries and Russia declared they were united in the Iraq reconstruction effort. The summit had been overshadowed by their differences over the U.S.-led Iraq war, with four of the G-8 leaders backing the military action and four staunchly opposed. In a statement given by the summit host, French President Jacques Chirac, the leaders said they "share the conviction that the time has now come to build peace and reconstruct Iraq." "Our shared objective is a fully sovereign, stable and democratic Iraq," they said. The G-8 leaders also warned North Korea and Iran -- two countries in U.S. President George W. Bush's so-called "axis of evil" -- to accept nuclear inspectors and renounce nuclear weapons. "We strongly urge North Korea to visibly, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle any nuclear weapons programs," said the declaration. "We will not ignore the proliferation implications of Iran's advanced nuclear programs." The leaders also voiced "our strongest support" for a thorough inspection of Iran's nuclear facilities by the IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are due in Iran this month. "The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery poses a growing danger to us all," the declaration said. "With the spread of international terrorism, it is the pre-eminent threat to international security." A senior member of the Russian delegation told reporters Tuesday that Iran "must remove any doubts of its compliance with the (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) by June 16," the next meeting of the IAEA board of governors, The Associated Press reported. On the economy, the G-8 voiced confidence about the prospects of a recovery but did not mention the sensitive issue of currencies. (Full story) However, the leaders were pleased to hear Bush say he still believes in a strong dollar, because there is much worry, particularly in Europe and Japan, about the way in which the dollar has been tumbling against the euro and the yen, hampering the prospects for growth. (Analysis) Foreign exchange markets were unsure of Washington's intention toward the weakening dollar. Markets are largely on hold awaiting an expected interest rate cut from the European Central Bank on Thursday to boost the stagnant 12-nation eurozone. The weak dollar is hurting exporters, and an interest rate cut should go some way to softening the blow. (Full story)
On Monday, G-8 leaders attempted to play down their differences and focus on the issues of the global economy and international terrorism. (Full story) As violence flared among anti-globalization protesters who were kept well way from the G-8 summit, Bush and Chirac took a conciliatory tone in an effort to patch up their own dispute over the war in Iraq. A senior U.S. official quoted Bush as telling Chirac "it is time to move on." (Full story) For Bush, attempting to warm up the U.S.-French relationship was one of the biggest challenges of his week-long, six-nation trip. In the weeks before the Iraq war, U.S. officials publicly lashed out at French leadership for trying to counteract the U.S. effort to win support for military action. But both Bush and Chirac said before the summit that they also wanted to focus on the future and the goals they share, including curbing the spread of AIDS in Africa, and combating famine and poverty in poor countries. The pair met privately for 25 minutes Monday as thousands of anti-globalization protesters demonstrated for a second day on both sides of the French-Swiss border. (Full story) Later, a third night of violence in Geneva wrecked the Swiss city's peaceful image, as hundreds of riot police with water cannons battled about 1,000 anti-G-8 protesters at the main Mont Blanc bridge. (Full story) The first day of talks focused on an issue confronting all those attending -- helping solve the economic woes of developing nations. (Full story) Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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