-- Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said on April 1: At this summit, countries should affirm their determination to take every fiscal and monetary measure to revive the world economy and to send a strong message on the issue of avoiding protectionism.

-- Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on March 12: We always believe that, particularly in difficult times, protectionism is not the correct answer is the wrong answer. If something can be learned from the crisis of the mid-30 is that the imposition of protectionist measures and encouraging slows the recovery of the Mexican economy.

-- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on 15 March in Russian Government web: If you ask what we are proposing, it is simply a more equitable international financial system. In principle all states are talking about this. The issue is where to put the emphasis and whether we want to move forward or simply remain stuck in the situation we have today. Our position is that we need to move forward. I hope that this position will be well-received by our partners during my visit to London for the G20 summit.

-- Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on March 30: The G20 Summit must represent a new stage in the international community's efforts to overcome the financial and economic crises. The key challenge of the G20 is to link the short-term response to the crisis with the task of fundamental reform. We need to build a robust institutional framework to underpin, not only globalisation, but also to address market failures.'

-- South Korean President Lee Myung-baa said on March 4: The recovery of the global economy will depend on actions the US Government takes. It's very important for us to strengthen international co-operation so that global economies can co-ordinate large fiscal stimulus packages and we can recover together.

-- South African President Kgalema Motlanthe said on March 11: No country can respond to the global financial crisis in isolation. South Africa's banking system will play a key role in ensuring that we come out of the global economic recession. We have what it takes to ensure we pull out of this difficult pattern.

-- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told CNN on March 27: I will meet with the managing director of the Fund during the G20 Summit in London on April 1-2. After completing the talks process, we will sign an agreement. If we cannot agree with IMF officials, then we keep on preserving current conjuncture.

-- US President Barack Obama said on March 30 in an interview with the Financial Times: The most important task for all of us is to deliver a strong message of unity in the face of crisis. All the participating countries recognise that in the face a severe global contraction we have to each take steps to promote economic growth and trade; that means a robust approach to stimulus, fighting off protectionism.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2009)