In line with year-old promises, they drew up a new development package for Africa, but the Africa Action Plan offered a lot of advice and little in the way of cash.

The leaders also promised $20 billion to help Russia dismantle weapons of mass destruction and prevent extremist groups getting hold of raw materials to build a nuclear bomb, sealing the deal only hours before the summit ended.

"I must admit that I didn't think we would succeed," said Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who hosted the meeting.

But the plan was short on detail, including explaining exactly who would foot the bill.

"We commit ourselves to prevent terrorists, or those that harbor them, from acquiring or developing nuclear, chemical, radiological and biological weapons, missiles and related materials, equipment and technology," a G8 statement said.

Terrorism has long been a topic at annual summits of the Group of Eight, where the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States often appear to be seeking things to agree about in a series of broad-brush assessments of international affairs.

But the issue took on new urgency this year after the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, amid the nightmare scenario that groups like al Qaeda - blamed for the attacks - might acquire radioactive material to build a nuclear bomb, or a "dirty bomb" spreading fear and radiation over a wide area.

"The attacks of Sept. 11 demonstrated that terrorists are prepared to use any means to cause terror or inflict appalling casualties on innocent people," the G8 said in its statement.

DEEP IN THE WILDERNESS

The summit was held this year in the sealed-off bubble of Kananaskis, an exclusive resort surrounded by wilderness and accessible only to delegates and security-cleared media representatives in possession of the right security pass.

That took the steam out of possible protest groups and - in stark contrast to last year's violence-hit summit in the Italian port city of Genoa - Calgary police said they had made just three arrests.

"We know from a policing perspective that we're in a lose-lose situation as far as the questions are concerned," said Calgary police Inspector Al Redford.

"If everything is peaceful, we're asked the questions about over-preparedness and cost. If it is not, we are asked why we weren't prepared. I would sooner by far answer the former set of questions than the latter."

Small protest groups, arguing that rich countries' policies hurt the poor, demonstrated in Canada's oil capital Calgary, the nearest city some 55 miles (90 kilometres) from the summit site.

That included a mud-in, with mud-smeared participants who complained the G8 did not serve the planet, a die-in that looked more like a mass sunbathing session, and a naked protest, where demonstrators stripped to the buff to complain about labor policies at international clothing chain The Gap.

The only casualty was a Kananaskis bear, shot by a sharpshooter when it got too close to the proceedings.

Back inside the security zone, leaders outlined a vision for the Middle East, accompanied by reformed Palestinian institutions and secure borders for Israel and Palestine.

But they stopped short of backing U.S. proposals that make Palestinian statehood dependent on a new leadership that is not tarnished with terrorist ties.

They mulled the state of the world economy and concluding that things were looking up, despite jittery markets as another accounting scandal emerged in the United States.