Group of Seven leaders will pressure US&nbspPresident Donald Trump at a summit this week on tariffs he has imposed on metals imports but must remain civil as they try to persuade him to change his mind, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday.

Macron, speaking to reporters after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said the United States was an ally that the rest of the G7 needed. Tensions over trade are threatening to overshadow the June 8-9 summit.

Group of Seven leaders will pressure US President Donald Trump at a summit this week on tariffs he has imposed on metals imports

Group of Seven leaders will pressure US&nbspPresident Donald Trump at a summit this week on tariffs he has imposed on metals imports but must remain civil as they try to persuade him to change his mind, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday. Macron, speaking to reporters after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said the United States was an ally that the rest of the G7 needed. Tensions over trade are threatening to overshadow the June 8-9 summit.

G7 leaders must be civil as they pressure Trump, says Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed support for "strong multilateralism" in Ottawa Wednesday before the G7 summit, where US President Donald Trump's aggressive trade policies are sure to raise hackles.

Displaying a united front, the two leaders in their 40s said in a statement they "support a strong, responsible, transparent multilateralism to face the global challenges."

The pair were scheduled to hold formal talks and a private dinner on Wednesday, followed by a joint news conference early Thursday.

Those discussions are likely to focus on Trump's decision last week to impose punishing tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from Washington's closest allies, including Canada, the European Union and Japan.

In retaliation, all of them have either hit back with their own tariffs on US goods or threatened to do so, as well as challenging the US trade measure at the World Trade Organization.

Both Trudeau and Macron had tried to persuade Trump not to impose the tariffs.

"There will be frank and sometimes difficult discussions around the G7 table, particularly with the US president on tariffs," Trudeau told reporters.

His private meeting with Macron, he said, "will be an opportunity to talk about the relations between Canada and France that are going very well, but also to highlight the challenges that we are going to have around the G7 table, and to make sure we are aligned."

Economic order 'under attack'

The EU and Canada were originally shielded from the aluminum and steel tariffs, but Trump ended that exemption last week.

Since then, Trudeau, Macron and other European leaders have toughened their tone, lamenting what they see as rising US protectionism.

"The world economic order is... under attack," Canada's Trade Minister Francois Philippe Champagne commented.

Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow, however, framed the trade spat as a "family quarrel" which he said would be "worked out," while adding that his administration "will do what is necessary to protect the United States, its businesses and its workforce." 
Macron -- who had formed an unlikely bond with Trump -- declined to characterize his last conversation with the US leader, but unnamed White House insiders told US media it was "terrible."

Still, the French leader pledged to have a "productive and frank discussion with President Trump at the G7," the Group of Seven industrialized democracies.&nbsp

"It does not detract from the friendship we have for each other and the friendship between our two countries," he said.

Trudeau, who has been cordial with Trump, said in March he had received assurances that Canada would be spared as they worked toward a revamp of a 1994 continental trade pact with the United States.

But that all changed with the announcement of the US levies, and Trudeau retaliated with Can$16.6 billion (US$12.9 billion) in tariffs on US goods.

The two sides are also deadlocked on negotiations over the future of their North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico. Ottawa refuses to grant US demands for a clause that would end the trade deal after five years unless it is renewed by the parties.&nbsp

Canada has also rejected "for now" a proposal floated by the White House for new separate US trade deals with Canada and Mexico.

The left-leaning Trudeau and Macron see each other as natural allies in a world increasingly shaped by right-wing nationalism. That bond should only grow deeper ahead of the G7 in Quebec.

According to a statement, they settled on the creation of an international working group to advance research and best practices in artificial intelligence, as well as a new defense alliance.

The French-Canadian Council for Defense Cooperation will meet by year's end and look at boosting cooperation between their respective armed forces, including conducting joint military operations and partnering on UN missions.

Focus on trade&nbsp

The GSeven summit on Friday and Saturday in La Malbaie, a small town 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Quebec City, will bring together the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

Trudeau hoped to put the focus on jobs, security concerns, cleaning up the world's oceans and empowering women. But officials concede the agenda is likely to be overtaken by trade disputes.&nbsp

"I think it's fair to expect that any discussions on the global economy... in the current environment will quickly turn into a discussion about trade," a senior Canadian official said.

The other six members of the G7 are holding out hope they can find common ground with Trump, but are prepared to stand up to US protectionism.

"The challenge is to try to preserve a form of unity within the G7, but not hesitate to express firmly and strongly the interests of France and of Europe," Macron's office said.

Displaying a united front, the two leaders in their 40s said in a statement they 'support a strong, responsible, transparent multilateralism to face the global challenges'

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed support for "strong multilateralism" in Ottawa Wednesday before the G7 summit, where US President Donald Trump's aggressive trade policies are sure to raise hackles. Displaying a united front, the two leaders in their 40s said in a statement they "support a strong, responsible, transparent multilateralism to face the global challenges." The pair were scheduled to hold formal talks and a private dinner on Wednesday, followed by a joint news conference early Thursday. Those discussions are likely to focus on Trump's decision last week to impose punishing tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from Washington's closest allies, including Canada, the European Union and Japan. In retaliation, all of them have either hit back with their own tariffs on US goods or threatened to do so, as well as challenging the US trade measure at the World Trade Organization. Both Trudeau and Macron had tried to persuade Trump not to impose the tariffs. "There will be frank and sometimes difficult discussions around the G7 table, particularly with the US president on tariffs," Trudeau told reporters. His private meeting with Macron, he said, "will be an opportunity to talk about the relations between Canada and France that are going very well, but also to highlight the challenges that we are going to have around the G7 table, and to make sure we are aligned." Economic order 'under attack' The EU and Canada were originally shielded from the aluminum and steel tariffs, but Trump ended that exemption last week. Since then, Trudeau, Macron and other European leaders have toughened their tone, lamenting what they see as rising US protectionism. "The world economic order is... under attack," Canada's Trade Minister Francois Philippe Champagne commented. Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow, however, framed the trade spat as a "family quarrel" which he said would be "worked out," while adding that his administration "will do what is necessary to protect the United States, its businesses and its workforce." Macron -- who had formed an unlikely bond with Trump -- declined to characterize his last conversation with the US leader, but unnamed White House insiders told US media it was "terrible." Still, the French leader pledged to have a "productive and frank discussion with President Trump at the G7," the Group of Seven industrialized democracies. "It does not detract from the friendship we have for each other and the friendship between our two countries," he said. Trudeau, who has been cordial with Trump, said in March he had received assurances that Canada would be spared as they worked toward a revamp of a 1994 continental trade pact with the United States. But that all changed with the announcement of the US levies, and Trudeau retaliated with Can$16.6 billion (US$12.9 billion) in tariffs on US goods. The two sides are also deadlocked on negotiations over the future of their North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico. Ottawa refuses to grant US demands for a clause that would end the trade deal after five years unless it is renewed by the parties. Canada has also rejected "for now" a proposal floated by the White House for new separate US trade deals with Canada and Mexico. The left-leaning Trudeau and Macron see each other as natural allies in a world increasingly shaped by right-wing nationalism. That bond should only grow deeper ahead of the G7 in Quebec. According to a statement, they settled on the creation of an international working group to advance research and best practices in artificial intelligence, as well as a new defense alliance. The French-Canadian Council for Defense Cooperation will meet by year's end and look at boosting cooperation between their respective armed forces, including conducting joint military operations and partnering on UN missions. Focus on trade The GSeven summit on Friday and Saturday in La Malbaie, a small town 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Quebec City, will bring together the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Trudeau hoped to put the focus on jobs, security concerns, cleaning up the world's oceans and empowering women. But officials concede the agenda is likely to be overtaken by trade disputes. "I think it's fair to expect that any discussions on the global economy... in the current environment will quickly turn into a discussion about trade," a senior Canadian official said. The other six members of the G7 are holding out hope they can find common ground with Trump, but are prepared to stand up to US protectionism. "The challenge is to try to preserve a form of unity within the G7, but not hesitate to express firmly and strongly the interests of France and of Europe," Macron's office said.

Macron, Trudeau support 'strong multilateralism' ahead of G7 summit

Washington's main allies delivered a unified message of shock and dismay at a Group of Seven ministerial meeting on Saturday, urging US President Donald Trump to rescind punishing metal tariffs.

The lack of common ground meant the dispute would continue into next week's G7 summit in Quebec, Canada, where Trump is expected to face other heads of state as the global economy verges on outright trade conflict.

At this snow-capped mountain resort north of Vancouver, British Columbia, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was the odd man out.

Major trading partners rebuked Trump's multi-front trade offensive while their governments announced countermeasures and legal challenges.

One after another, finance ministers and central bankers spoke of exasperation and an abiding sense of betrayal by a longtime ally.

Mnuchin, however, downplayed the disagreements and said the United States was committed to the G7 process.

Announcing the meeting's close, Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the host government and five others had urged Mnuchin to relay their "unanimous concern and disappointment."

"We said that we were collectively hoping that he would bring the message back of regret and disappointment at the American actions and concern that they are not constructive," said Morneau.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire also expressed France's outrage as the meetings ended.

"I want to make it clear," Le Maire said, "that it is up to the US administration to make the right decisions to alleviate the situation and ease the difficulties."

Avoiding trade war "will depend on the decision the (US) administration is ready to take in the next few days and in the next few hours -- I'm not talking about weeks ahead," he added.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told reporters the US tariffs were "a very severe problem" for transatlantic relations.

"No one understands that due to security reasons there should be extra tariffs on steel and aluminum," he said.

Trump's tariffs on America's largest foreign providers of the crucial metals that went into effect Friday upended the agenda for this normally convivial event for consensus-building among countries that account for about half of global GDP.

No joint final statement emerged from the G7 ministerial meeting, a sign of the strong discord now at the heart of the global economy.

How the White House would deal with this remained unclear.&nbsp

As the ministers' meet ended, Trump was as bellicose as ever, taking to Twitter to denounce "stupid trade" in which he said the US saw foreign tariffs on its exports without responding in kind.

"When you're almost 800 Billion Dollars a year down on Trade, you can't lose a Trade War! The US has been ripped off by other countries for years on Trade, time to get smart!" he wrote.

Counting trade in both goods and services, the US trade deficit was $566 billion in 2017, a 12 percent increase marking its highest level since the 2008 Great Recession.

Getting an earful from allies

Chairing a meeting on Friday, Morneau allowed participants to register grievances with Mnuchin one at a time, according to a Canadian source.

Behind closed doors, sources briefed on the talks said Mnuchin listened but spoke little, saying instead the discussion could continue at next week's G7 summit in the French-speaking province of Quebec at which Trump is expected to participate.

Mnuchin said he had informed Trump of his discussions but that trade was only one of many issues on a full agenda.

"These are our most important allies or some of our most important allies. We've had long-standing relationships with all these countries that are very important across all different aspects," Mnuchin told reporters.

"I believe there was a comment out there that this was the G6 plus one. It was not. This was the G7. We believe in the G7."

The week's whirlwind global developments in trade suggested a quick de-escalation was unlikely.&nbsp

Trump has suggested the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement might be scrapped in favor of seeking bilateral agreements with Canada and Mexico.

G7 governments were also digesting Trump's threats to impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in US auto imports on purported national security grounds.

In China, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was due to conduct trade talks with Chinese officials even as Washington finalizes planned sanctions on Beijing.

Potential measures include restrictions on Chinese investment in the United States, new export controls and 25 percent tariffs on about $50 billion in tech-sector goods.

The talks come despite the Trump administration's apparent announcement last month of a truce with Beijing following talks in Washington last month.

China has threatened to hit back with tit-for-tat tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in US goods -- as have Canadian, EU and Mexican authorities.

Washington's main allies delivered a unified message of shock and dismay at a Group of Seven ministerial meeting on Saturday, urging US President Donald Trump to rescind punishing metal tariffs

Washington's main allies delivered a unified message of shock and dismay at a Group of Seven ministerial meeting on Saturday, urging US President Donald Trump to rescind punishing metal tariffs. The lack of common ground meant the dispute would continue into next week's G7 summit in Quebec, Canada, where Trump is expected to face other heads of state as the global economy verges on outright trade conflict. At this snow-capped mountain resort north of Vancouver, British Columbia, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was the odd man out. Major trading partners rebuked Trump's multi-front trade offensive while their governments announced countermeasures and legal challenges. One after another, finance ministers and central bankers spoke of exasperation and an abiding sense of betrayal by a longtime ally. Mnuchin, however, downplayed the disagreements and said the United States was committed to the G7 process. Announcing the meeting's close, Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the host government and five others had urged Mnuchin to relay their "unanimous concern and disappointment." "We said that we were collectively hoping that he would bring the message back of regret and disappointment at the American actions and concern that they are not constructive," said Morneau. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire also expressed France's outrage as the meetings ended. "I want to make it clear," Le Maire said, "that it is up to the US administration to make the right decisions to alleviate the situation and ease the difficulties." Avoiding trade war "will depend on the decision the (US) administration is ready to take in the next few days and in the next few hours -- I'm not talking about weeks ahead," he added. German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told reporters the US tariffs were "a very severe problem" for transatlantic relations. "No one understands that due to security reasons there should be extra tariffs on steel and aluminum," he said. Trump's tariffs on America's largest foreign providers of the crucial metals that went into effect Friday upended the agenda for this normally convivial event for consensus-building among countries that account for about half of global GDP. No joint final statement emerged from the G7 ministerial meeting, a sign of the strong discord now at the heart of the global economy. How the White House would deal with this remained unclear. As the ministers' meet ended, Trump was as bellicose as ever, taking to Twitter to denounce "stupid trade" in which he said the US saw foreign tariffs on its exports without responding in kind. "When you're almost 800 Billion Dollars a year down on Trade, you can't lose a Trade War! The US has been ripped off by other countries for years on Trade, time to get smart!" he wrote. Counting trade in both goods and services, the US trade deficit was $566 billion in 2017, a 12 percent increase marking its highest level since the 2008 Great Recession. Getting an earful from allies Chairing a meeting on Friday, Morneau allowed participants to register grievances with Mnuchin one at a time, according to a Canadian source. Behind closed doors, sources briefed on the talks said Mnuchin listened but spoke little, saying instead the discussion could continue at next week's G7 summit in the French-speaking province of Quebec at which Trump is expected to participate. Mnuchin said he had informed Trump of his discussions but that trade was only one of many issues on a full agenda. "These are our most important allies or some of our most important allies. We've had long-standing relationships with all these countries that are very important across all different aspects," Mnuchin told reporters. "I believe there was a comment out there that this was the G6 plus one. It was not. This was the G7. We believe in the G7." The week's whirlwind global developments in trade suggested a quick de-escalation was unlikely. Trump has suggested the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement might be scrapped in favor of seeking bilateral agreements with Canada and Mexico. G7 governments were also digesting Trump's threats to impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in US auto imports on purported national security grounds. In China, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was due to conduct trade talks with Chinese officials even as Washington finalizes planned sanctions on Beijing. Potential measures include restrictions on Chinese investment in the United States, new export controls and 25 percent tariffs on about $50 billion in tech-sector goods. The talks come despite the Trump administration's apparent announcement last month of a truce with Beijing following talks in Washington last month. China has threatened to hit back with tit-for-tat tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in US goods -- as have Canadian, EU and Mexican authorities.

US isolated as trade outrage roils G7 ministerial meet

Amid threats of imminent tariffs on metals and auto imports, escalating trade tensions between Europe and the United States were casting a shadow over a meeting of finance ministers from the world's top economies.

Long a bastion of multilateralism, the Group of Seven ministerial in a Canadian mountain resort will serve as the latest battleground for the discord now at the heart of the global economy.

As the US engages in a multi-front trade battle, with allies and adversaries alike, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;rejected calls to extend exemptions on punishing import tariffs on steel and aluminum and warned that duties for massive US imports of automobiles were on the horizon.

This means the metals tariffs would take effect&nbsp;on Friday, the second&nbsp;day of the G7 meeting as frustration mounts in Europe, the single-largest source of US steel imports.

The Wall Street Journal reported&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;that Washington would allow the EU exemption to expire, after weeks of talks failed to yield a compromise, such as a quota arrangement.

The harsh duties imposed in March to combat global overcapacity of the metals and boost domestic production, were only one part of a dizzying pace of developments, coinciding with a political crisis in Italy, which this week has roiled markets fearful for the future of the euro and bringing turmoil to the European Union, the G7's largest economic bloc.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is due to hold meetings with his European counterparts to discuss President Donald Trump's confrontational trade agenda, officials said.

But Jacob Kirkegaard, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told AFP that the agenda Canada, the current G7 chair, set for the meeting -- which included uncontroversial themes such as inclusive development and innovation in finance -- would be swept aside amid raw relations between America and its traditional allies.

"Hopefully they can agree to keep talking about these issues, although that is unlikely," he said, adding that Trump's recent actions proved to US allies that Washington would not de-escalate the dispute.

"I think the only thing you can hope for is no further harm."

In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly switched course on key foreign policy and trade issues, first imposing then easing sanctions on Chinese telecoms equipment firm ZTE, and declaring a "hold" on a looming trade war with Beijing but then announcing he would press ahead with $50 billion in tariffs on China's tech sector.

Last week, the administration also launched a national security-based investigation that could result in stinging tariffs on the hundreds of billions of autos the US imports annually, just as it has for the smaller aluminum and steel industries.

And Ross also vetoed a traditional joint statement at an annual economic meeting in Paris this week which denounced protectionism, further angering US allies.

Relations among G7 nations represent particularly high stakes as they account for more than 60 percent of global GDP.

And the sectors where Trump has chosen to wage his battles are key to trade in the economic bloc.

More than 60 percent of US auto imports -- an industry that closely binds US and Canadian manufacturing -- come from G7 countries, as well as more than 50 percent of aluminum imports and nearly 36 percent of steel.

Stephanie Segal, deputy director of the Simon Chair in political economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Washington's many about-faces meant consensus in the near-term was an increasingly dim prospect.

"It doesn't feel particularly constructive to me and I have to believe that the end game is not to create market instability, which is precisely what something like this does," she told AFP.

The Italian crisis, she said, demonstrated that there already were pressing matters facing the G7 even without the man-made ones now dominating the trans-Atlantic conversation.

"It's an opportunity to focus the mind on the fact that there are plenty of real crises out there, that creating a crises with a trade war on-off and antagonizing allies is probably not where we should be spending our energy."

Long a bastion of multilateralism, the Group of Seven ministerial in a Canadian mountain resort will serve as the latest battleground for the discord now at the heart of the global economy

Amid threats of imminent tariffs on metals and auto imports, escalating trade tensions between Europe and the United States were casting a shadow over a meeting of finance ministers from the world's top economies. Long a bastion of multilateralism, the Group of Seven ministerial in a Canadian mountain resort will serve as the latest battleground for the discord now at the heart of the global economy. As the US engages in a multi-front trade battle, with allies and adversaries alike, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday rejected calls to extend exemptions on punishing import tariffs on steel and aluminum and warned that duties for massive US imports of automobiles were on the horizon. This means the metals tariffs would take effect on Friday, the second day of the G7 meeting as frustration mounts in Europe, the single-largest source of US steel imports. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Washington would allow the EU exemption to expire, after weeks of talks failed to yield a compromise, such as a quota arrangement. The harsh duties imposed in March to combat global overcapacity of the metals and boost domestic production, were only one part of a dizzying pace of developments, coinciding with a political crisis in Italy, which this week has roiled markets fearful for the future of the euro and bringing turmoil to the European Union, the G7's largest economic bloc. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is due to hold meetings with his European counterparts to discuss President Donald Trump's confrontational trade agenda, officials said. But Jacob Kirkegaard, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told AFP that the agenda Canada, the current G7 chair, set for the meeting -- which included uncontroversial themes such as inclusive development and innovation in finance -- would be swept aside amid raw relations between America and its traditional allies. "Hopefully they can agree to keep talking about these issues, although that is unlikely," he said, adding that Trump's recent actions proved to US allies that Washington would not de-escalate the dispute. "I think the only thing you can hope for is no further harm." In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly switched course on key foreign policy and trade issues, first imposing then easing sanctions on Chinese telecoms equipment firm ZTE, and declaring a "hold" on a looming trade war with Beijing but then announcing he would press ahead with $50 billion in tariffs on China's tech sector. Last week, the administration also launched a national security-based investigation that could result in stinging tariffs on the hundreds of billions of autos the US imports annually, just as it has for the smaller aluminum and steel industries. And Ross also vetoed a traditional joint statement at an annual economic meeting in Paris this week which denounced protectionism, further angering US allies. Relations among G7 nations represent particularly high stakes as they account for more than 60 percent of global GDP. And the sectors where Trump has chosen to wage his battles are key to trade in the economic bloc. More than 60 percent of US auto imports -- an industry that closely binds US and Canadian manufacturing -- come from G7 countries, as well as more than 50 percent of aluminum imports and nearly 36 percent of steel. Stephanie Segal, deputy director of the Simon Chair in political economy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Washington's many about-faces meant consensus in the near-term was an increasingly dim prospect. "It doesn't feel particularly constructive to me and I have to believe that the end game is not to create market instability, which is precisely what something like this does," she told AFP. The Italian crisis, she said, demonstrated that there already were pressing matters facing the G7 even without the man-made ones now dominating the trans-Atlantic conversation. "It's an opportunity to focus the mind on the fact that there are plenty of real crises out there, that creating a crises with a trade war on-off and antagonizing allies is probably not where we should be spending our energy."

Escalating trade battle embroils G7 finance meet

Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven rich countries will commit on Saturday to join forces to fight the growing threat of international cyber attacks, according to a draft statement of a meeting they are holding in Italy.

A global cyber attack infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries on Friday.

&quot;We recognise that cyber incidents represent a growing threat for our economies and that appropriate economy-wide policy responses are needed,&quot; the draft statement, seen by Reuters, said.

It called for common shared practices to spot quickly any vulnerabilities in the world&#39;s financial system and stressed the importance of effective measures to assess cyber security among individual financial firms and at sector level.

The draft will be reviewed before publication later on Saturday by the G7 finance ministers and central bankers who are discussing issues facing the world economy at a two-day meeting in Bari, Italy.

Italian finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan told reporters that the discussions, which had been scheduled before Friday&#39;s attacks, were &quot;unfortunately very timely.&quot;&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Finance chiefs of the Group of Seven rich countries are meeting in Italy

Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven rich countries will commit on Saturday to join forces to fight the growing threat of international cyber attacks, according to a draft statement of a meeting they are holding in Italy. A global cyber attack infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries on Friday. "We recognise that cyber incidents represent a growing threat for our economies and that appropriate economy-wide policy responses are needed," the draft statement, seen by Reuters, said. It called for common shared practices to spot quickly any vulnerabilities in the world's financial system and stressed the importance of effective measures to assess cyber security among individual financial firms and at sector level. The draft will be reviewed before publication later on Saturday by the G7 finance ministers and central bankers who are discussing issues facing the world economy at a two-day meeting in Bari, Italy. Italian finance minister Pier Carlo Padoan told reporters that the discussions, which had been scheduled before Friday's attacks, were "unfortunately very timely." (Reuters)

G7 nations to agree joint fight against cyber attacks: Draft

G7 foreign ministers insist there can be no peace solution for war-torn Syria with President Bashar al-Assad in power, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Tuesday.

The ministers, meeting in Italy as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson readies for crunch talks in Moscow, were agreed that &quot;no future in Syria is possible with Bashar al-Assad&quot;, Ayrault told reporters.

He said the message for Russia was: &quot;That&#39;s enough now. There must be an end to hypocrisy and a very clear return to the political process&quot;.

&quot;This is not an aggressive stance towards Russia, rather a hand out-held, with clear intentions,&quot; he said.

The United States has hardened its stance on Damascus since a suspected chemical weapons on a rebel-held Syrian town that killed at least 87 civilians and triggered a retaliatory US bombing raid on a Syrian air base.

The West is also pushing for Russia to rein in the Syrian regime, with the war now in its seventh year.&nbsp;

Ayrault was speaking at the close of the two-day ministerial meeting of the G7 which groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

The group also held a special meeting on Syria on Tuesday with counterparts from Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE.

Tillerson headed from Italy to Russia, where he is set to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The G7 foreign ministers met in Italy as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson readies for crunch talks in Moscow

G7 foreign ministers insist there can be no peace solution for war-torn Syria with President Bashar al-Assad in power, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Tuesday. The ministers, meeting in Italy as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson readies for crunch talks in Moscow, were agreed that "no future in Syria is possible with Bashar al-Assad", Ayrault told reporters. He said the message for Russia was: "That's enough now. There must be an end to hypocrisy and a very clear return to the political process". "This is not an aggressive stance towards Russia, rather a hand out-held, with clear intentions," he said. The United States has hardened its stance on Damascus since a suspected chemical weapons on a rebel-held Syrian town that killed at least 87 civilians and triggered a retaliatory US bombing raid on a Syrian air base. The West is also pushing for Russia to rein in the Syrian regime, with the war now in its seventh year. Ayrault was speaking at the close of the two-day ministerial meeting of the G7 which groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. The group also held a special meeting on Syria on Tuesday with counterparts from Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE. Tillerson headed from Italy to Russia, where he is set to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. (AFP)

G7 agrees no Syria solution with Assad in power: Italy

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