G-7 ministers reveal 'clear differences' on Middle East
DINARD, France -- Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations revealed stark divergences in views on the Middle East on Saturday as they wrapped up a meeting in France that opened with the goal of finding common ground on contentious global challenges but was shaken by the absence of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The diplomats in attendance projected a united front while walking side-by-side along a seaside promenade before they released the agreement from their two-day meeting in Dinard. The agreement included mildly worded joint commitments on issues such as fighting cybercrime, giving women bigger peacemaking roles, and engaging with countries in Africa's Sahel region to combat migrant trafficking.
But what was omitted from the G-7's positions said as much as what was included. The differences could set the stage for tensions at an August summit of the leaders of the G-7 advanced economies -- the United States, France, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and the U.K.
A European Union official expressed "regret" the document had what she considered to be several glaring omissions that conflicted with non-negotiable positions of the EU. They included "no reference to a two-state solution" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and "no mention" of the U.N. Security Council resolution in favor of the Iran nuclear deal, she said.
