Italy hosts G8 July 7-9 on island off Sardinia

ROME (AP) - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says Italy will host the Group of Eight leaders in July next year at a secluded island venue that he hopes will guarantee security.

He says the three-day summit will start on July 7 on a small island off Sardinia.
The island is La Maddalena, which housed a U.S. Navy support base until February.
Berlusconi says Italy wants to prevent the type of violence that marred the last G8 meeting it hosted in Genoa in 2001 when a protester was killed by police.
Berlusconi added Thursday that security was an issue, «having gone through the traumatic experience in Genoa.