Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations and Russia will convene at the resort town of Sea Island off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia Tuesday for annual summit talks.

Topping the group's agenda are high global oil prices and the situation in postwar Iraq and the Middle East. Also on the docket at the three-day gathering is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions.

Attention is being drawn to whether there will be coordination of views regarding Pyongyang's nuclear standoff among U.S. President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

The summit meeting comes ahead of the third round of six-party discussions on Pyongyang's nuclear arms program slated to open in Beijing on June 23rd.

The G-8 summit will bring together the heads of state and government officials of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States, as well as the European Union president.