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CNN Live Saturday
Bush Meets With Leaders of Germany and France
Aired July 21, 2001 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with rock-throwing demonstrators getting tear gassed by police. That's the scene in Genoa, Italy, which is the site of the summit by leaders of the world's industrialized nations. About 2,000 extremists challenged police security lines after breaking off from a much larger and more peaceful contingent that was protesting globalization. The G-8 leaders condemned the street violence, and President Bush has rejected claims that globalization exploits the poor.
CNN's John King is joining us from Genoa with the latest. Hi, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Donna. Those protests in the street, sometimes violent -- most of them peaceful, but sometimes violent, and the death of one demonstrator last night casting a shadow over the discussions here, the group of eight leaders, the seven richest industrialized nations plus the president of Russia on hand for these discussions. It is largely an economic club.
This afternoon, though, not only a tough time dealing with the protesters in the street, but a tough time for President Bush on other issues as well. Mr. Bush a short time ago began a meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. He is one of the European leaders, one of many European leaders, sharply critical of the U.S. administration for refusing to sign onto the Kyoto Treaty on global warming. That treaty would require mandatory reductions in the emissions of so- called greenhouse gasses.
Mr. Bush has refused, he says it's not fair to the United States and it's also not fair to China and India and other developing nations not covered by that treaty. Still, in brief comments to reporters on the subject, Mr. Bush tried to gloss over the differences, saying he might not agree with the specific proposals in the Kyoto compact, but that he was trying to deal with the problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We both agreed to reduce greenhouse gases, and we both agreed to continue dialogue.
QUESTION: On how, the dialogue on how?
BUSH: On how, right. And we'll explain to the chancellor that our nation will come with a strategy, we're in the process of developing one. But my -- I can't be any more sincere than I have been in saying that we need to reduce greenhouse gases and we'll work a plan to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Bush had met just a short time before the Schroeder meeting with the French President Jacques Chirac, another firm critic of the United States on the issue of global warming, a skeptic on the question of missile defense as well.
At that session, both leaders discussed the violence in the streets, including the death yesterday of one of those demonstrators, Mr. Bush voicing regret at the death. But he also took a tough lane in saying he believed those demonstrators were wrong in voicing their opinions that world trade hurts the poor, mr. Bush saying he believes trade actually helps.
Now, Mr. Chirac took a much less tough line. He said that the fact that there were so many protesters out in the streets that perhaps it was time for the leaders to do a better job of listening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUES CHIRAC, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): Obviously, we have all been traumatized by the events. I shall not give any judgment, except to say that the -- we, elected leaders of our countries, have to consider the problems that have brought tens of thousands of our compatriots, mainly from European countries, to demonstrate, to demonstrate their concern, to demonstrate their wish to change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Most of the leaders insisting they are discussing the very issues the protesters are complaining about: more help for poor nations and relieving their debts, more economic assistance through trade for poor nations, more money to combat diseases like AIDS.
But the protesters out on the streets are having an impact, even as the leaders continue their talks this afternoon and into tomorrow, already discussions of how perhaps these meetings should be changed in the future. One proposal: make them less formal, put them in remote locations, the leaders obviously responding to the scenes we see here in the streets of Genoa, scenes very familiar after several recent international forums have drawn similar protests -- Donna.
KELLEY: Our John King in Genoa, Italy. Thanks, John.
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