German Chancellor Mr Gerhard Schroeder has said he believes there should be dialogue with protesters at the upcoming G8 summit in Genoa but called for a crackdown on ultra-violent extremists.
"On the one hand, there are extremists with no political program, who seek only street violence," Mr Schroeder said in an interview published in Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
"Against them, we can only react with a well-equipped police force. But they are not the majority," the German chancellor said.
"The majority of non-violent anti-globalisation militants should distance themselves from the extremists and say clearly they have nothing to do with them.
"At that point, we can try to speak with the part of the movement that is intellectually ready for a discussion," he said.
Since the 1999 World Trade Organisation summit in Seattle, demonstrators have repeatedly surprised police and summit organisers by their numbers and organisation, and most global gatherings have been marred by violence.
Mr Schroeder told La Repubblicahe felt some protesters' arguments deserved to be aired, even if he did not personally agree with them.
"Their opinions on globalisation concerning dangers for relations between the economy and politics, or aggravated differences between rich and poor nations, are arguments which need to be confronted.
"But I think they are wrong and that globalisation offers expanded markets, which present more advantages than risks," he said.
AFP