EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Ten months in advance, Scottish officials have begun planning the massive security requirements for next summer's G8 summit in Edinburgh.
The July event will be held at the Gleneagles golf resort one hour's drive north of Edinburgh July 6-8, but getting the leaders and their entourages there from Edinburgh's international airport will present logistics challenges, The Scotsman reported.
A source close to the British Aviation Authority's planning talks said security would certainly be beefed up for the summit, but it was unlikely any commercial flights would be disrupted.
The cost of policing the Gleneagles summit is expected to top $250 million, with 9,000 of Scotland's 15,000 police officers needed to cover the event.
Previous G8 summits have been marred by mass protests. In June 2003, 50,000 protesters fought running battles with riot police in the G8 summit town of Evian, France, and in Geneva, Switzerland.
Delegations from the United States, Britain, Canada, Japan, Russia, France, Germany and Italy will discuss international economic, political and security issues.
