The leaders of the US, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Canada and Russia planned to kick off the meeting Monday at a remote mountaintop resort overlooking a lake formed by a volcanic crater on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The session ends Wednesday with a larger gathering that brings in eight additional countries – Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa.

Before the G-8 talks, Bush planned to meet with Russia's new president, Dmitry Medvedev, who took office last month. White House aides said Bush hoped to bring up areas were the two countries could cooperate more, including missile defense and Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization.

Analysts said that Medvedev's G-8 appearance could help him make the case he is emerging from his predecessor Putin's shadow, and carving out a leadership role.

US Republican presidential candidate John McCain has urged stripping Russia of its G-8 membership because of autocratic steps by Mr. Putin, the Associated Press reported. Neither Bush nor Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama shares the view.

Bush also addressed Japanese concerns over the kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

Japanese citizens are upset about the US move to remove North Korea from the State Department's terror blacklist in exchange for North Korea's decision to admit to some of its nuclear weapons work and begin dismantling its nuclear facilities.

As a condition for sending aid and improving relations with the impoverished North, Japan long has pushed for the resolution of the issue of the abductions.

Bush recalled a White House meeting a few years ago with Sakie Yokota, the mother of a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Koreans agents on her way home from school in 1977. "As a father of little girls, I can't imagine what it would be like to have my daughter just disappear," Bush said at the news conference. "So, Mr. Prime Minister, as I told you on the phone when I talked to you and in the past, the United States will not abandon you on this issue."

Bush said the two leaders also talked about the gloomy economy. Many of the world's older economic powers are suffering from low growth.

"With regard to soaring food and oil prices, which are having negative impact on the world economy, we agreed there's a need for expeditious efforts on these fronts," he said.

The US economy, he said, "is not growing as robustly as we'd like. ... We're not as strong as we have been during a lot of my presidency." He hoped the economic aid checks going out to many in the US "will continue to have a positive effect."

(China Daily via Agencies July 7, 2008)