WASHINGTON (AFP)--Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and an ex-Republican lawmaker have been pursuing contacts with top Group of 20 players on President-elect Barack Obama's behalf, his office said Friday.
Albright and former Iowa congressman Jim Leach will report back to Obama after their round of contacts with foreign leaders, finance ministers and top bureaucrats, Obama's transition office said in a statement.
"Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright are holding these unofficial meetings to seek input from visiting delegations on behalf of the president-elect and vice president-elect," it said.
Obama himself is staying away from the G20 summit on the global financial crisis, but foreign delegations have been keen to open channels to the Democrat succeeding President George W. Bush on Jan. 20.
Albright and Leach, an early Republican backer of Obama's White House bid, met Thursday with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and senior government advisers from India and Russia, the statement said.
On Friday, as the G20 talks were beginning over dinner, the Obama representatives were meeting Argentina President Cristina Kirchner, Mexico President Felipe Calderon, South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
They were also meeting Friday with senior government officials from Canada and Germany, according to the statement.
On Saturday, the day of the summit proper, the Obama pair were to meet senior advisers from the U.K., China, Italy and Japan, plus France Finance Minister Christine Lagarde and Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 14, 2008 17:33 ET (22:33 GMT)

Publié le 14 novembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones