G8 FMs to meet in Washington next week

G8 Foreign Ministers will gather in Washington next Wednesday for two days meeting to discuss a range of country-specific, regional, and transnational topics. A rocket launch that North Korea plans between April 12 and 16 is likely to be one of the key agenda items during the G-8 ministerial gathering. The United States holds the G8 Presidency in 2012, and will host the G8 Summit at Camp David May 18-19. The Group of Eight (G8) is a forum for the governments of eight of the world's largest economies. The forum originated with a 1975 summit hosted by France that brought together representatives of six governments: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, thus leading to the name Group of Six or G6. The summit became known as the Group of Seven or G7 the following year with the addition of Canada. In 1997, Russia was added to the group which then became known as the G8. The next Summit in Camp David of the world's richest nations was originally scheduled for Obama's home town of Chicago on 18-19 May. The G8 summit has often been a target for activists and was this year expected to attract massive protests from the Occupy movement and others.