British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair said the death of an Italian protester at the G8 summit was a "tragedy", but insisted violent demonstrations should not be allowed to stop international summits taking place.
He told the BBC that the leaders were discussing the very issues about which those outside were protesting, such as poverty, global warming and the environment.
And he angrily rejected suggestions that the G8 leaders were enjoying a life of luxury in Genoa, saying that they were working from early in the morning until midnight.
He said: "We are not living in great comfort and splendour. Most of us come on to the boat, go to our cabins, then get back out again to go back into the summit."
He defended the Italian authorities' handling of the demonstrations.
"To criticise the Italian police and the Italian authorities for working to make sure the security of the summit is right is, to me, to turn the world upside down," he said.
"Of course it is a tragedy that someone has died in the demonstrations.
"The tragedy is not merely that a particular person has died, but that overshadows the fact that the vast majority of people have wanted to demonstrate peacefully, but unfortunately there is a minority of people who have come here bent on violence."
PA