In recent months, much of Price’s focus has been on working with other Sherpas to lay the groundwork for the Group of Eight summit here. It will focus on some hoary standards (climate change and nonproliferation) and some new crises (the run-up in food prices and world economic problems).

To that end, Price has already been to Japan four times, accompanied by a personal assistant, a yak in G8 argot. While the Sherpas meet in one room, the yaks are in another, taking instructions by e-mail from them. Then there are sous-Sherpas for finance and foreign affairs, as well as country political directors (such as the undersecretary of state in the United States), all of whom meet to discuss issues that can come up at the summit.

“The constant questions that run throughout our Sherpa meetings are, first, what are the key issues to be addressed, and second, what actions can we, the G8, take that will make a positive contribution?” Price said in a brief interview on Friday, just before he left Washington on Saturday with Bush.

The Sherpas have been trading communique language for weeks on contentious issues such as global warming, looking to bridge competing approaches favored by Europe, Japan and the United States. The Japanese host, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, is looking for a strong statement on goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions; Bush wants to make sure developing countries such as China and India are included in any new climate change initiative.

New issues pop up: One late entrant is Zimbabwe. Officials anticipate from the world leaders gathered here a strong denunciation of its President Robert Mugabe and his widely discredited reelection.

... contd.