US President Donald Trump has succumbed to pressure from G-7 leaders to support a pledge to fight protectionism, but declined to endorse the Paris climate change pact, arguing that he needed more time to make a decision,
The summit of G-7 most industrialized nations placed the U.S President against the leaders of Britain, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada on many burning issues. European diplomats were disappointed over repeated questions they had believed were resolved long ago.
Challenges of the summit
However, officials and diplomats at the summit maintained there was a range of agreement on areas of foreign policy challenges which include renewal tough economic sanctions on Russia over its interference in Ukraine if Ukraine makes a request for the sanctions.
Paolo Gentiloni Italian Prime Minister said that they were satisfied on how things turned out at the summit but acknowledged sharp division with Washington on gray areas. “We don’t pretend this division. It was very clear in our discussion”, he said.
Trump's achievements at the summit
Trump described the meeting as highly productive, adding that he had strengthened strong relationships between the United States and its partners and allies.
The US President, who has previously described global warming as a trick, was under intense pressure from the other leaders to respect the Paris accord of 2015 on reducing carbon emission.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was furious over Trump’s refusal to endorse the most widely accepted global climate pact that was signed by 192 member countries, though President Trump had earlier tweeted that he would take stance next week.
The whole conversation about the climate deal was very tough or better put, unsatisfactory,” The German Chancellor told reporters. “There are no signs whether the US will stick to the Paris accord or not”, she added.
Help for Africa
On a positive note, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was confident Trump would endorse the deal having heard from his allied partners in the G-7.
President of Niger Republic Mahamadou Issoufou called on the G-7 leaders to take drastic measures to end the Libyan crisis. Libya has become the point of departure for hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking for a greener pasture in Europe. He also condemned the leaders for not fulfilling pledges to fight poverty in the poorest regions of West Africa.
The final resolution was mere six pages compared to 32 pages last year. Diplomats said the leaders wanted a simpler document to enable them to reach a much larger audience.
