A four-month-old Peruvian Hairless Dog called Ears in Lima. Peruvians, who are crazy about the dog, offered on Monday to send a hypoallergenic puppy to the Obama family. They say it is perfect for kids who are sensitive to dogs. (Reuters)

Washington, Nov. 11: After much deliberation, President-elect Barack Obama has decided not to meet any of the 19 foreign leaders who will be here for the summit of developed and emerging economies later this week.

Requests have been pouring in from countries big and small, which are attending the two-day summit to co-ordinate global action to deal with the current financial crisis, for meetings with the man who will move into the White House in 70 days.

Obama’s spokesperson Robert Gibbs said the President-elect was “very interested” in meeting world leaders and at one time “thought it was very good” to have discussions with individual leaders on the sidelines of the economic summit.

But eventually, Obama’s transition team decided that no such meetings would take place. “No. Not in Chicago. Not in Washington,” Gibbs added.

He, however, said “it is a possibility” that Obama advisers would attend the summit, only to “stay up-to-date and briefed on what is going on but will not be a participant”.

He repeated Obama’s view expressed at his first post-election media conference that the US has only one government at a time.

“In a phrase you will hear in exceedingly large numbers of times between now and the 20th of January, there is only one President at a time,” Gibbs explained.

Transition team sources also indicated that Obama might not announce any cabinet picks this week so as not to divert attention from the serious business to be transacted at the global summit here.

He may, though, announce some choices for upper or middle-level White House posts.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari expressed apprehension today that Obama might continue the policy of attacking terrorist targets on Pakistani soil from US bases in Afghanistan.

Zardari’s statement is based on his impressions from a telephone conversation with Obama on Saturday. Zardari said the US attacks inside Pakistan were hurting its own war on terror.

Obama’s foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said the President-elect had spoken to a second lot of foreign leaders that included Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

Obama spoke to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, it was announced in Chicago.