Press Release: Former Secretary of State Albright and Former GOP Congressman Leach Meet with Delegations at G-20 Summit

WASHINGTON – President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden announced that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former Republican Congressman Jim Leach would be available to meet with delegations at the G-20 summit on their behalf. 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.

Below are more details on the specific delegations Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright are meeting. The President-elect and Vice President-elect will receive a briefing from Congressman Leach and Secretary Albright following the meetings.

Secretary Albright served as Secretary of State and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations during the Clinton administration. Congressman Leach represented Iowa's second congressional district for thirty years, where he served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired the Banking and Financial Services Committee, the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

Thursday, November 13, 2008:

Russia: Arkady Dvorkovich, Senior Economic Advisor to the President, G8 Sherpa, and Ambassador Kislyak

India: Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Ambassador Sen (India), Ambassador Arun K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission

Australia: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Friday, November 14, 2008:

Canada - Mark Cameron, Director of Priorities, Planning & Research, Office of Prime Minister Harper and other members of PM Harper's Delegation

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

South Korea - President Lee Myung-Bak of South Korea

Mexico - President Felipe Calderon

Argentina - President Fernandez de Kirchner and Foreign Minister Taiana

Germany - Christoph Heusgen, Foreign Policy and Security Advisor to Chancellor Angela Merkel

Saturday, November 15, 2008:

China - State Councillor Dai Bingguo

Italy - Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, Ambassador Gianpiero Massolo, Italian G-8 Sherpa, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Counsellor Bruno Archi, Diplomatic Advisor to Prime Minister Berlusconi

United Kingdom - Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Jeremy Heywood, Permanent Secretary of 10 Downing St., Stewart Wood, Senior Policy Advisor USA and European Policy and other members of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Delegation

Japan - Mr. Jun Matsumoto, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, H.E. Mr. Ichiro Fujisaki, Ambassador of Japan to the United States and other members of Prime Minister Taro Aso's Office

Turkey - Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan

European Commission - Mr. Joao Vale de Almeida – Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Commission

France - Minister of Finance of France Ms. Christine Lagarde