Saturday July 21 9:25 PM ET

Summit Protest Statement

By The Associated Press,

A statement released Saturday by summit leaders in response to the death of a protester in Genoa, Italy:

We the leaders of the G-8 express our sorrow and regret following the death in Genoa yesterday.

We have always respected people's right to legitimate protest. We recognize and praise the role that peaceful protest and argument have played, for example in putting issues like debt relief on the international agenda. But we condemn firmly and absolutely the violence overflowing into anarchy of a small minority that we have seen at work here in Genoa and at recent international meetings.

It is vitally important that democratically elected leaders legitimately representing millions of people can meet to discuss areas of common concern. We are firmly determined to carry on our dialogue with the representatives of civil society. For our part, we will continue to focus on the issues that matter most to our people and to the wider world such as the economy, jobs trade and help for the poorest parts of the world, devoting special attention to Africa. Yesterday evening, we dedicated a working session to Africa together with the secretary-general of the UN and representatives of developing countries.

For all these reasons, our commitment and our work goes on.