President Barack Obama is embarking on three days of multinational talks about climate change,the global economy and world hunger in the second and most policy-laden stop of his three-nation,week-long trip. The meetings Wednesday in Italy may lack the intrigue of Obama's sit-downs with Russia's top leaders earlier this week or the emotion of the reception that the first black American president is likely to receive Saturday in Ghana. But they won't lack for ambition as the world's most powerful officials address problems that threaten the planet. Obama,first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters arrived in Rome on Wednesday morning. He and the leaders of seven other industrialized nations will meet at L'Aquila near Rome before they widen their circle to include fast-growing countries like China and India,and struggling nations from Africa. In large and small groups,the talks will involve trade,Iran's nuclear ambitions,climate change,food security and other issues. Obama went immediately into a meeting with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano after arriving at the stately Quirinale Palace,accompanied by Michelle,and meeting his host. Topping the list are discussions of how to slow the release of greenhouse gases linked to global warming. Many foreign leaders want the United States to embrace a target of limiting the rise in average planetary temperatures to the 3.6 degree (2 degrees Celsius) level that characterized the pre-industrial era in 1900. Scientists say an increase beyond that could trigger dangerous rises in sea level and other dire problems. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs declined Wednesday to say whether the administration would endorse that goal. He suggested that the administration was putting its political emphasis on what it can accomplish back home with Congress,not with the Group of Eight nations. "I think our biggest contribution to this is the steps that were taken by the House," Gibbs said,referring to legislation requiring reductions in greenhouse gases. Asked how Obama would define climate change success at this summit,Gibbs said: "I think in many ways success for us is going to be getting something through Congress and to his desk that puts in place a system,market-based system,that lessens the amount of greenhouse gases in the air." Setting goals and achieving them,of course,are different things,and G-8 meetings often are known more for high-minded roundtables and photo opportunities than for concrete results. Even before Obama left Washington,his aides tamped down expectations of breakthroughs at L'Aquila. Obama made a major speech in Moscow and planned another for Ghana,but not one in Italy. Barring a breakthrough on climate change,or perhaps new sanctions against Iran,the emotional highlight of Obama's Italy trip may be his audience Friday with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Before that,Obama will meet individually with Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The three-day summit will involve ever-growing numbers of nations beyond the G-8,whose members are the United States,Canada,Britain,France,Germany,Italy,Russia and Japan. Various meetings will include representatives of Egypt,Turkey,Mexico and several other nations. The most intensive discussions of climate change may occur Friday,when Obama hosts a discussion on the topic. He also will hold a news conference Friday before flying to Ghana in the evening. Security will be heavy in L'Aquila,which was ravaged by an earthquake on April 6. Officials have prepared emergency airlifts of the world leaders in case another strong tremor hits. The April earthquake levelled entire blocks in L'Aquila and the surrounding Abruzzo region,driving some 54,000 from their homes and killing 296 people. Berlusconi decided to move the summit from a posh Sardinian island to L'Aquila in a show of support for the stricken population. Italy is deploying thousands of police officers as it seeks to avoid the violence that marred the last G-8 summit held in this country,when one protester was killed and more than 200 were injured in Genoa in 2001.
