Tackling a sensitive issue that he has skirted around in the past, President Dmitry Medvedev has promised to implement political reforms aimed at bolstering the economy but insisted that they be carried out without foreign participation.

The annual Group of Eight (G8) summit opened on Friday in

Huntsville, Canada's Muskoka region, with leaders of the world's

eight major industrialized countries set to discuss key challenges

related to development and international peace and security.