Protesters chant anti-Bush and anti-G-8 slogans

WASHINGTON , June 8 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Leaders of the world's eight industrial powers are due to meet in Georgia Tuesday, June 8, with Iraq and Washington 's recipe of democratic reforms in the Middle East high on agenda.

A revised version of the U.S. plan, named "Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative", has been scaled down and altered to stress partnership with countries of the region since a draft of the proposal in February was rebuffed by many Arabs, reported Reuters.

A draft circulating among summiteers said the new plan would include creating a "forum for the future" to provide a "ministerial framework for our ongoing dialogue," according to the Washington Post.

It would also form a democracy assistance group that would coordinate efforts by individual nations from outside the Middle East , begin an initiative to lend money to small businesses, and establish a task force on changing the investment climate, added the daily.

The draft statement for the G8 quotes liberally from a declaration by the Arab League on reform and modernization and a conference held in March at the Alexandria Library in Egypt , said the Post.

Skepticism

Europeans, Arabs and some U.S. officials said Washington 's rhetoric about fostering democracy and reform is not backed up by money or new ideas, said the Post.

Some U.S. administration officials express fears that 200 million dollars dedicated by the Bush administration to nascent and low-key efforts to promote reform will be diverted to high-profile talkathons, added the daily.

The reputable International Crisis Group (ICG) said in a report Monday, June 7, that "there are few indications [the administration] is prepared to put established relations with authoritarian but cooperative Middle Eastern states at risk and pin its future on civil society and political opposition movements."

The report added that "reformers throughout the region are hard pressed to say kinder things about the U.S. initiative than that the message -- the need for more democracy -- should not be disregarded because the messenger, especially in the post-Iraq war world, is suspect."

The ICG said the G8 document is a "considerable climb down from the lofty ambitions proclaimed in the President's November 2003 speech, and a drastic narrowing even of the initial goals suggested" in earlier drafts.

Bush had invited the leaders of a number of Islamic countries to attend the G-8 summit, to run until Thursday, June 10.

But leaders of some key nations, including Saudi Arabia , Egypt and Morocco , turned down the invitation.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia had earlier rejected the U.S. initiative, saying reforms should come from within and not be imposed by others.

Iraq Draft

The summit is held under watertight security measures

Iraq will also come high on the G8 agenda, as the U.S. and key war ally Britain are pushing for a vote on a new U.N. Security council draft resolution.

U.S. officials were optimistic the resolution was imminent, meaning it could be approved as Bush welcomes leaders of major industrialized countries, Reuters said.

Bush is hoping to use the summit, being convened under tight security, to restore his standing with allies, such as French President Jacques Chirac, who have been deeply critical of Iraq invasion.

Iraqi interim president Ghazi Al-Yawar will be among those invited to talk with the G8 leaders.

France and Germany said earlier Tuesday they will back the draft when the U.N. Security Council votes on it later in the day, the BBC News Online said.

Russia and China have also indicated approval of the draft after it reportedly removed one of the last obstacles by spelling out the relationship between Iraq 's interim government and foreign forces, it added.

The draft includes an undertaking that the U.S.-led forces will consult Iraqi leaders over major military actions.

The G8 groups the United States , Britain , France , Germany , Italy , Japan , Canada and Russia .