G20 leaders agree to fight protectionism, begin plenary session

The summit started by a breakfast scheduled at 8:30 am local time after the leaders were greeted by British Prime Brown at the entrance of London's exhibition censer, or ExCel London, in eastern London. The breakfast provided an opportunity for the leaders to exchange views in an informal way before their formal talks later in the day.

Security is tight around the venue. Police can be seen at every crossroads within about five kilometers. Journalists have to pass through two security checkpoints to get to the press censer, where about 2200 registered journalists work and many of them stayed for the night.

Outside the Excel, anti-capitalist protesters started their second day of protests. On Wednesday, at least 87 were arrested and one protester died, London's police said.

Brown, the host, who made a global trip and met the leaders to prepare for the summit, said he was confident that the summit will produce consensus on a global plan for economic recovery and reform.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso expressed his belief Thursday that a consensus will be reached on the economic stimulus and regulation.

"There is a real willingness to have convergence at the end of this summit and so I really believe that at the end we'll have a consensus around the two points that sometimes appear as differences: the stimulus of the economy and regulation," he told reporters.