Obama hails closing G-8 summit, calls it a productive session to confront difficult challenges

Obama says G-8 summit leaders tackled tough issues

L’AQUILA, Italy — President Barack Obama is hailing “candid and spirited discussions” at the G-8 summit, saying the world must come to grips with chronic problems like economic stagnation and climate change.

Summing up three days of talks with fellow leaders in Italy, Obama said he and others have agreed that a full recovery from the global economic recession is “still a ways off.” He also noted that he and the leaders of other industrialized nations had productive discussions about limiting the proliferation of nuclear weapon systems.

Obama told reporters that many difficult challenges still confront the world’s leaders, saying “we can eit her shape our future or let events shape it for us.”

(This version CORRECTS SUBS 2nd paragraph to correct Obama quote.)