CAMP DAVID, Maryland, May 19 (Reuters) A growing chorus of world leaders on Friday pushed for a shift toward more pro-growth policies to help ease a European crisis that threatens to oust Greece from the euro zone and reverberate throughout the global economy.
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| U.S. President Barack Obama (R) greets French President Francois Hollande as he arrives at the G8 Summit at Camp David, (REUTERS) |
Setting the tone for a weekend G8 summit, President Barack Obama aligned himself with the new French president's drive for more economic stimulus in recession-plagued Europe, in a swipe at the tough austerity programs that have been spearheaded by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Obama's stance reflects his worries that the euro zone contagion, which threatens the future of Europe's 17-nation single currency, could hurt the fragile U.S. economic recovery and his own re-election chances in November.
The Camp David summit kicked off four days of intensive
diplomacy - including a NATO meeting in Obama's home town of Chicago - that will test leaders' ability to quell unease over the threat of another financial meltdown as well as plans to wind down the unpopular war in Afghanistan.
Over dinner Friday at the presidential retreat, the leaders discussed still other intractable global problems. The group, which included Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, agreed ahead of world powers' talks next week with Iran that Tehran must answer questions about its suspected nuclear weapons program, a U.S. official said.
North Korea, Syria and Myanmar were alsoon the dinner agenda, but it was the global economy that dominated the day. |
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