G7 Leaders Carrying Mixed Bags Germany, France Likely To Play Key Roles In Economic Summit

The seven world leaders sitting down for a summit in Halifax are an odd mix of political weaklings and powerhouses whose bonds have been splintered by the demise of the Cold War.

It’s an all-male club of presidents and prime ministers who will gather in the Canadian seaport today through Saturday for the 21st annual economic summit of the United States, Germany, Japan, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.

President Clinton, as leader of the world’s dominant economy and the last superpower, is guaranteed a major role even though he’s been severely weakened at home by the Republican takeover of Congress.

Still, there are doubts about Clinton’s global leadership, aggravated by his wavering policy on Bosnia and trade feud with Japan over autos.

“He’s not lionized as a leader in foreign policy by any country that’s represented there, and the problems with Japan are a real distraction,” said Frederick L. Holborn, a foreign policy specialist at Johns Hopkins University.

The most intriguing summit player may be France’s Jacques Chirac.

“Chirac is the strongest,” said Brookings Institution scholar Helmut Sonnenfeldt. “He’s got the most moxie at the moment.”

Chirac enjoys a 65 percent approval rating in France a month after his election as president. With his ruling conservative alliance controlling 80 percent of the seats in the National Assembly, Chirac makes his summit debut both as a strong leader and president of the 15 European Union nations, a rotating post that France occupies until the end of June.

France has contributed more peacekeepers than any other nation to war-torn Bosnia, giving Chirac added authority to speak on that subject.

“He will try to convey a European view on as many issues as he possibly can, to demonstrate that … Europe is not just a wallflower in the post Cold War environment,” said Robert Hormats, an international economist, who was an organizer and notetaker at the first eight summits.

Like Chirac, Canada’s prime minister, Jean Chretien, also has a popularity rating envied by other leaders - 68 percent, a record for any Canadian prime minister.

Though Canada traditionally does not play a weighty role in Group of Seven summits, the spotlight will be on Chretien as the summit host who sets the agenda and tries to keep things running smoothly.”He sees this summit as a great opportunity for Canada to step onto the world stage, in particular in supporting development assistance (as) the United States seems to be pulling back,” Hormats said.

Germany’s Helmut Kohl arrives in Halifax as the most senior summit veteran - he’s been to 12 before - and the leader of the major economy in Europe.

Kohl doesn’t have to worry about poll ratings. He was re-elected in October to a four-year term that will make him the longest-serving German leader since Bismarck.

Watch for sparks from Kohl about the staggering size of the U.S. deficit and the weakness of the dollar. That kind of expected criticism spurred Clinton to rush out a 10-year balanced budget plan before heading to Halifax.