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Middle East and Ukraine on the menu at a G7 meeting in Italy
G7 foreign ministers began two days of discussions near Rome on Monday focused on the conflict in the Middle East, in the presence of their regional counterparts, and on the war in Ukraine. “At this moment, unity is our strength : I am mainly referring to relations with the Russian Federation”, in reference to the Russian invasion in Ukraine, declared before the opening of the proceedings the head of Italian diplomacy Antonio Tajani, whose country is chairing the G7 this year. “Strength does not mean fortress, and besides I wanted to invite other countries to the meetings which will follow one another this afternoon and tomorrow to have broader and more concrete discussions”, he affirmed. Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the Group of seven most developed countries (France, United States, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy), thus included on the agenda a dialogue session extended to the ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Emirates United Arabs and Qatar, as well as to the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit. An expanded meeting which is being held at a time when Washington is redoubling its efforts with Arab countries to prepare for the post-war in Gaza concerning the questions of governance, security and reconstruction. This ministerial G7 in Fiuggi and Anagni, near Rome, will also address the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and the head of the armed wing of Hamas Mohammed Deif. The first session of discussions is devoted to the situation in the Middle East and the Red Sea, five days after a new veto by the United States on UN Security Council for a ceasefire in Gaza. These discussions come as the Israeli army carried out new strikes on Monday against Hezbollah in Lebanon, where its troops are engaged in intense fighting with the pro-Iranian movement in the south. Tuesday, the second day of discussions will be devoted to the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Indo-Pacific space, in the presence of ministers from several Asian countries. The British government announced sanctions on Monday against 30 additional ships from the “ghost fleet” allowing Russia to export its oil and gas by circumventing Western restrictions imposed since the invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine exchanged drone and missile strikes on Monday, amid escalating tensions, due to Vladimir Putin’s threats against the West and the use of a latest generation Russian ballistic weapon on Ukrainian territory. . Discussions on Ukraine and the Middle East will also be marked by the recent election of Donald Trump to the White House, a source in particular of uncertainty over the continued American support for Kiev. The G7 ministers will also discuss ongoing crises. in Haiti, Sudan and Venezuela. ide-glr/gab/lrb
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