The biggest event on the diplomatic calendar is the annual G8 summit meeting, especially since Japan is the host nation this year.

CNN: Taking Over

The G8 summit meeting was meant to be the prologue to what is an even more important though as yet undetermined date on the political calendar.

CNN: Taking Over

In addition, Merkel allied Germany with the U.S. to oppose Iran's nuclear activities, and she was vocal on energy security at the G8 summit meeting this summer, where she was the only female leader at the table.

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At the same time, Merkel also has allied Germany with the U.S. to oppose Iran's nuclear activities, and she was vocal on energy security at the G8 summit meeting this summer, where she was the only female leader at the table.

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In a separate development, the White House has announced President Clinton will hold his first summit meeting with Mr Putin, before the G8 gathering of leading industrialised countries in Japan in July.

BBC: Putin seeks UK 'co-operation'

That meeting was in preparation for the upcoming G8 summit at a Baltic Sea resort in Germany, and that could be dominated by the Russian-American split as the foreign ministers' meeting was.

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He seems to have quietly forgotten that the G8 is currently chaired by Japan (the financial summit is now formally a G20 meeting).

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The meeting he convened, Brown said, is a precursor to the G8 summit of industrial nations, to be held in July, and a special U.N. summit in September.

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The meeting was ahead of President Obama's trip to NI for the G8 summit.

BBC: Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness meet Barack Obama

Praising the Senate bill, Peter Piot, executive director of the UN Programme on HIV-Aids, said US legislation before the G8 summit would "send a strong message that the global fight against Aids should be a top priority at this meeting".

BBC: US Senate approves Aids bill