Obama moves G-8 summit from Chicago to Camp David

Reporting from Washington — President Obama is moving one of two major world summits from Chicago to the presidential retreat near Washington, with an aide saying the president has decided he wants a more "intimate" setting than his hometown for the May gathering.
 
The Group of 8 meeting will be moved to Camp David, according to the White House, but the gathering of NATO allies and the International Security Assistance Force will go on in Chicago as planned.
 
Camp David will more closely approximate the remote settings in which the G-8 leaders apparently prefer to gather. Summits in large cities typically see clamorous protests, while those in the countryside are calmer and more sedate.
 
"It's not about Chicago being able to handle logistics, as evidenced by the fact that the NATO and ISAF meetings will be held there, which are far larger than the G-8 meeting," said Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for Obama's National Security Council. "There are a lot of political, economic and security issues that come together at the G-8."
 
"This was really about the president looking for a more informal setting with these close partners," she said.
 
For several months, the summits have been scheduled for Chicago during the same week in May.
 
But Obama wanted the more informal setting in which to have a "free-flowing discussion with his fellow leaders," a second official said.