It's not clear whether the small video cameras on the walls of the restaurant were on or not, but the German security officials decided to take them down just to be safe. The Russians shouldn't be able to hear German Chancellor Angela Merkel's briefing to journalists about her first Group of Eight (G-8) summit.

She showed up late after the meeting of leaders from the world's most important industrialized nations ran past schedule because of events in the Middle East . But Merkel was in a hurry for another reason as well on Sunday evening. "At a quarter to twelve we have to go, unfortunately," said her spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm to widespread laughter among the journalists.

The German press corps expected Merkel to do her best to avoid hearing "Happy Birthday" sung to her; instead she planned to celebrate her 52nd birthday only in the company of a few members of the German delegation at midnight. But the shy chancellor couldn't avoid the congratulations from the other G-8 leaders on Monday. Despite the uncomfortable personal aspects, Merkel seemed to enjoy herself at the summit held just outside St. Petersburg.

The G-8 meeting -- Merkel's first since becoming chancellor in November -- was more controversial and turbulent than these highly choreographed affairs usually are. Not only did the widening conflict in the Middle East upend the agenda, but host Russian President Vladimir Putin was keen on reestablishing his country as a global power . That, according to Merkel, forced the leaders to be creative and made the entire summit "worthwhile," since they actively tried to come up with political solutions instead of just signing off on work which low-level aides had prepared in advance.

Overshadowed by Middle East crisis

To address the conflict between Israel and the Islamic extremist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, the eight leaders sat down and carefully chose their words. Should both the Palestinian group Hamas and Hezbollah be called "extremist elements," or should other expressions be used? Should Iran and Syria be pegged as helping terrorists -- and criticized for it? The unusually close work on their joint text seemed to bring the eight closer together. After visiting Germany last week, United States President George W. Bush now seems to feel so chummy with Merkel that he touched her on the neck from behind -- prompting a shocked reaction from the chancellor. Even Putin, who has no problem playing the spoiler, decided to play along.

Whether the communiqué will have any practical effect remains to be seen. British Prime Minister Tony Blair and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan want to send international troops to the border region between Israel and Lebanon. Putin offered to send Russian forces, and Merkel said she could imagine a UN-backed mission to the region. However, she said the UN Security Council would have to make the final decision and there was no discussion -- in St. Petersburg -- of German troops taking part.

The crisis in the Middle East forces the summit's other issues onto the backburner -- leading to a somewhat mixed result for the G-8 meeting. Putin brought the leaders to his hometown of St. Petersburg in an attempt to sell Russia as a new energy superpower.

Little energy for energy

For months now, a public debate has raged in G-8 countries over Russian natural resources, the world's dependency on them and the recent heavy-handed way in which Moscow has used its energy supplies as a political weapon. There have been debates about pipelines, access to markets and energy imperialism. Although this year's summit was supposed to produce a global plan for energy security, there appeared to be little appetite in St. Petersburg for any major initiative.

Activist groups complained that the "St. Petersburg Plan of Action" agreed to this weekend -- intended as a common energy strategy -- was anything but. Greenpeace energy expert Tobias Münchemeyer says the paper goes no further than what was settled at the last G-8 summit. And the WWF (formerly the World Wildlife Fund) said the deal would not make progress in the fight against global warming. Both groups said they hoped Germany would make renewable energies and energy efficiency a bigger theme when it hosts the G-8 summit next year.

The document also avoided any serious statements about the future of nuclear energy, a subject of major debate throughout the G-8 member states. As part of its own coalition contract, for example, the German government is commtted to continue its policy of abandoning nuclear power.

However, the Europeans did chalk up one success in the hotly disputed issue of the opening of energy markets. Russia has so far refused to sign on to the European energy charter, which would make it possible for foreign companies to access Russia's energy transport sector -- including the country's lucrative gas and oil pipelines. However, German government sources said the text of the new G-8 agreement, though technically non-binding, contained the "spirit of the energy charter."

Russia's carefully orchestrated international debut

Energy Imperialism? Democratic Deficiencies? Nothing would upset the carefully managed affair. Unwanted guests, such as anti-globalization demonstrators, were kept at bay by simply closing down the airport, harbor and train traffic for three days. Protestors were contained in a stadium circled by Russian security forces and a sit-in on the city's main boulevard was broken up in minutes.

But the choreography fell apart after the US and Russia failed to agree on Moscow's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), even though Putin had hoped for a breakthrough. The topic of energy -- Russia's new realpolitik trump card -- was also pushed aside as Israel bombed Lebanon and Hezbollah launched rockets over the border.

Still, the Kremlin is likely satisfied over the outcome of the summit. Guests from the world's leading industrialized nations praised the professional preparations -- allowing Russia a claim, at least, to being a proper member of the G-8. As host, Putin was also able to express his viewpoints to the international press. "The growing economic potential allows Russia to play a larger political role too," he said.

But Putin was probably most pleased that his guests chose not to criticize Russia's backsliding democracy and human rights  in public. Only amongst themselves at a dinner did the leaders discuss their differences of opinion. President Bush, who met with Russian dissidents and who is often Putin's loudest critic, set the tone before the summit by announcing he understood the Russian leader's allergic reaction to being scolded in public. He even acknowledged Moscow's right to pursue a "Russian style of democracy."

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