Obama and the G-20 Summit (or "One president at a time")

PRESS RELEASES from Presidential Transition Team
November 15, 2008

Statement of Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Former Congressman Jim Leach on Meetings with G-20 Delegations

"Throughout the last few days, we held constructive meetings on behalf of President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden with delegations to the G-20 summit from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Commission, France (via phone call), Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and with the Secretary General of the United Nations.

"The President-elect believes that the G-20 summit of leaders from the world's largest economies is an important opportunity to seek a coordinated response to the global financial crisis. There is one President at a time, so the President-elect asked us to represent him in receiving the views of these important partners. We also conveyed President-elect Obama's determination to continuing to work together on these challenges after he takes office in January.

"We will brief the President-elect and Vice President-elect at the conclusion of our meetings."

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2008
Contact: Obama Transition Press Office

Bipartisan Representatives Former Secretary of State Albright and Former Republican Congressman Leach Meet with Delegations at G-20 Summit

WASHINGTON – President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden announced that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Republican Congressman Jim Leach would be available to meet with delegations at the G-20 summit on their behalf. Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright are holding these unofficial meetings to seek input from visiting delegations on behalf of the President-elect and Vice President-elect.

Below are more details on the specific delegations Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright are meeting. The President-elect and Vice President-elect will receive a briefing from Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright following the meetings.

Secretary Albright served as Secretary of State and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration. Congressman Leach represented Iowa's second congressional district for thirty years, where he served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

Thursday, November 13, 2008:
Russia: Arkady Dvorkovich, Senior Economic Advisor to the President, G8 Sherpa, and Ambassador Kislyak
India: Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Ambassador Sen (India), Ambassador Arun K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission
Australia: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Friday, November 14, 2008:
Canada - Mark Cameron, Director of Priorities, Planning & Research, Office of Prime Minister Harper and other members of PM Harper's Delegation
Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
South Korea - President Lee Myung-Bak of South Korea
Mexico - President Felipe Calderon
Argentina - President Fernandez de Kirchner and Foreign Minister Taiana
Germany - Christoph Heusgen, Foreign Policy and Security Advisor to Chancellor Angela Merkel

Saturday, November 15, 2008:
China - State Councillor Dai Bingguo
Italy - Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, Ambassador Gianpiero Massolo, Italian G-8 Sherpa, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Counsellor Bruno Archi, Diplomatic Advisor to Prime Minister Berlusconi
United Kingdom - Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Jeremy Heywood, Permanent Secretary of 10 Downing St., Stewart Wood, Senior Policy Advisor USA and European Policy and other members of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Delegation
Japan - Mr. Jun Matsumoto, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, H.E. Mr. Ichiro Fujisaki, Ambassador of Japan to the United States and other members of Prime Minister Taro Aso's Office
Turkey - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
European Commission - Mr. Joao Vale de Almeida – Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Commission
France - Minister of Finance of France Ms. Christine Lagarde

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2008
Contact: Obama Transition Press Office

President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden Tap Bipartisan Representatives to be Available to Meet with Delegations at G-20 Summit

WASHINGTON – President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden today announced that former Republican Congressman Jim Leach and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will be available to meet with delegations at the G-20 summit on their behalf. Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright will be available for these unofficial meetings to seek input from visiting delegations on behalf of the President-elect and Vice President-elect.

“This weekend's summit is an important opportunity to hear from the leaders of many of the world's largest economies. President Bush should be commended for calling the summit. There is one President at a time in the United States, so the President-elect has asked Secretary Albright and Congressman Leach, an experienced and bipartisan team, to be available meet with and listen to our friends and allies on his behalf,” said Obama Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Denis McDonough.

Secretary Albright served as Secretary of State and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration. Congressman Leach represented Iowa's second congressional district for thirty years, where he served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

Further details about the specific delegations Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright plan to meet with will be released at a later date. The President-elect and Vice President-elect will receive a briefing from Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright following the meetings.

###