De Maiziere said leaders of the Group of Eight most industrialised nations will discuss the way forward on fighting climate change and global warming after the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse emissions expires in 2012.

Germany hopes that a new treaty on emissions to be negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations will engage emerging nations such as South Africa, Brazil, China, India and Mexico.

The G8 will seek to send a "positive signal" to encourage the World Trade Organisation's negotiations on freeing up international trade and will also discuss the social impact of globalisation.

De Maiziere said Berlin has put hedge funds and fighting protectionism on the agenda of the June 6-8 summit which Germany as current president of the club is hosting in Heiligendamm on the Baltic Sea.

He said Berlin was in favour of "greater transparency" on hedge funds, whose highly speculative nature the German government believes can undermine financial stability.

The G8 will also mull ways to limit the potential dangers of international financial transfers.

There is also a need to fight protectionism to ensure it does not hamper the flow of international investment by creating different investment climates in developed and emerging countries, de Maiziere said.

With regard to Africa, the leaders of the G8 will mull ways to fight the AIDS epidemic ravaging the continent and to increase the flow of "effective investment" to the continent with preference given to states practising good governance.

The G8 summit will be attended by the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

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