The Group of Eight (G8) summit is to open in the Gleneagles Hotel of Scotland on Wednesday night, and the whole world are now looking again: what could the annual meeting of the world's wealthiest nations achieve?

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who holds the G8 presidency, announced two ambitious agendas for the summit long time ago -- providing massive assistance to Africa and brokering a global pact on climate change.

For the first agenda, Blair has branded it as an issue of " morality", urging the developed countries to do more for poverty- stricken Africa. For the latter, he believed it is the "biggest threat" to security and stability of human kind in the long run.

PROGRESS POSSIBLE FOR AID TO AFRICA

It's known to all that the two issues are by no means a new ambition for the international community.

The developed countries have long promised to contribute to the poor countries the aid that is equivalent to 0.7 percent of their GNP respectively.

However, the promise has not been fully turned into actions. The assistance from the United States merely accounts for 0.15 percent of its GNP, while that for Japan is 0.25 percent.

Blair, who is to host the Gleneagles summit, has promised to offer a yearly 25 billion US dollars in aid to Africa before 2010 and to write off all debts the Sub-Sahara poor countries owe to international financial bodies.

He also promised to set up a fairer international trade environment to facilitate the entry of African products into international market.

There are signs that some progress would be made at Gleneagles on these issues.

Last month, the G8 finance ministers' meeting in London agreed to exempt 40-billion US dollars in debt by 18 of the world's poorest countries in Africa.

As well, US President George W. Bush announced that his country would double its assistance to Africa in the coming five years.

Britain has proclaimed that the aid and debt relief are big " breakthroughs". But British newspaper Financial Times said the pledges agreed so far involve a "substantial amount" of " rechannelling of existing aid plans."

"Of the 15 countries making the EU aid announcement, for example, a third have already reached the 0.7 percent level, a third have promised to reach it before 2015 and the reminder - who are already falling behind aid pledges they made three years ago - insist on a caveat that they only step up aid as resources allow," said the paper.

As for eliminating trade barriers for African products, especially cutting agricultural subsidies to make way for abundant agricultural products, the majority in the G8 club have their reservations.

Analysts believe there is little possibility that more contribution to African would be announced at the summit.

HARD NUT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

As for the agenda of "climate change" for the summit, Blair has also put forward three objectives for the adoption of a declaration on recognizing scientific basis for global warming, for an agreement on developing energy-saving technology and clean energy, and for bringing developing countries into these efforts.

But this issue would turned out to be a "hard nut" to crack at the summit as the United States, which has refused to sign the Kyodo Protocol, has shown no sign of making concessions.

All the other G8 powers -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia -- have signed up to the treaty to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, which came into force in February.

The United States, the world's biggest polluter, has been grudging in accepting that the world is warming. Prior to the summit, Bush told Blair to expect no favors on the issue in return for backing war in Iraq.

"I really don't view our relationship as one of quid pro quo," Bush told Britain's ITV1 television in an interview.

"If this looks like Kyoto, the answer is 'no'. The Kyoto treaty would have wrecked our economy," he said.

Local media said that a last-ditch round of negotiations by G8 officials would result in an accord going some way to recognizing the science behind global warming.

However, analysts said even if the accord is agreed, it is still a small potato compared to Kyoto Protocol.

"It doesn't explicitly say that climate change is scientifically proven," a G8 diplomat said.

Another move Blair has arranged for the summit is to invite five major developing countries - China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa to discuss international issues like economic cooperation and trade.

He also has invited leaders from Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania to discuss issues such as aid and economic development.

Observers believe the move is of vital significance as it would help increase trust and promote dialogue between the developed countries and the developing countries, between the rich and the poor.

Source: Xinhua