The following statement from President Clinton was read by his national economic advisor Gene Sperling at a press briefing following the July 20 "G-8 Challenges for Development" meetings in Tokyo.

At the two Tokyo meetings the leaders of six of the G-8 countries -- which meet July 21-23 in Okinawa, Japan for their annual summit -- met with the leaders of four major developing countries, who spoke on behalf of the developing world, and with private sector representatives and international development institutions. The developing country leaders were Nigerian President Olusegen Obasanjo, South African President Thabo Mbeki, Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The meetings marked the first time that leaders of the G-8 -- the seven major industrialized countries and Russia -- have included a meeting with developing country leaders as part of the annual summit process.

President Clinton, who could not attend the meetings, was represented by Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers.

Following is the text of Clinton's statement.

(begin text)

At today's unprecedented meeting in Tokyo, G8 leaders met with leaders from developing nations and representatives from the private sector and international development institutions. While I regret that I was unable to participate, I look forward to hearing from Secretary Summers and my G8 colleagues about the discussion and working to ensure that everyone benefits from the global economy.

Building on last year's Cologne Debt Initiative, the Okinawa Summit will create a framework to fight infectious disease, increase access to basic education, and expand opportunity through information technology. Despite a stronger global economy, too many people around the world live every day without essential health care, basic literacy, or the opportunity to share in the benefits of modern technology. I am committed to continuing to work closely with America's partners in the G8 and the developing world to address these issues, reduce poverty, fight infectious disease, and increase opportunity for all.

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