State Funeral of Ronald Reagan
Further information: Death and state funeral of Ronald ReaganThe G-8 Summit began three days after former U.S. president Ronald Reagan died. President George W. Bush was at the summit at the same time that Reagan's casket was brought to the Capitol to lie in state, which was on the second day of the summit (June 9). Taking his place at the ceremony at the Capitol was Vice-President Richard Cheney.
Some of the world leaders who attended the summit decided to extend their stay in the U.S. to attend the funeral in Washington. One of them was German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Joining him in doing so were British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Those that did not extend their stay, like Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid tribute at the summit. The funeral took place the day after the summit ended.
For Afghan Interim President Hamid Karzai, the summit was part of his week-long visit to the U.S. He scrapped a visit to the West Coast to visit the Afghan community and went to Washington instead, beginning his visit there by attending the funeral.
Read more about this topic: 30th G8 Summit
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