City turns into G20 fortress

WORLD leaders descend on Cannes this month for the annual G20 conference and unprecedented security is being planned for the famed Riviera festival city.

President Nicolas Sarkozy is hosting the event and will welcome American and Chinese presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, UK prime minister David Cameron, and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

A total of 12,000 security staff are being deployed and on November 4 and 5 a substantial part of central Cannes, around the Palais des Festivals venue will be only accessible by pass (eg. for residents and workers).

Schools in the zone are getting an extended All Saints holiday.

Priorities for discussion at the G20 are expected to include international monetary system reform, stronger financial regulation, combating volatility of commodity prices, supporting employment and social security and labour rights, fighting financial corruption and supporting infrastructure development and access to food in vulnerable countries.

A “counter summit” is being held in nearby Nice, where “anti-globalisation” groups will take over former abattoir buildings. They aim to attract leaders’ attention to the issue of malnutrition around the world.