Complex sentence: The heads of government were greeted with waving and some clapping on their way past, a scene very much in contrast to those of the G8 summits that were about to follow in the coming years.
Split into simpler sentences: The heads of governemnt were greeted with waving and some clapping on their way past. A scene very much in contrast to those of the G8 summits that were about to follow in the coming years.