The President met with the Madrid Club and exchanged views with members of the Korean G20 Presidential Committee on Sept. 2nd.

The Madrid Club is an independent organization created to promote democracy and change in the global community and is composed of about 70 former heads of state and government, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The President met with eleven former heads of state and prime ministers, including former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Wim Kok, Canada’s former Prime Minister Kim Campbell, former French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, and former Mexican president Vicente Fox.

The G20 Seoul Summit agenda for economic growth and initiatives formed the major topic of discussion. Participants welcomed Korea’s initiative in helping other developing countries, and expect the Seoul Summit will generate future-oriented and long-term solutions to pressing global problems.

The special conference ended with the adoption of recommendations for successfully hosting the summit. Among the recommendations adopted were to focus on the legitimacy and efficiency of the G20 and reform of quotas at international financial institutions.