Trump's hazy views confuse allies ahead of summit
Source: Politico
U.S. officials have so far submitted broad points that don't nail down positions on issues the G7 leaders will discuss in Italy.
By TARA PALMERI 05/24/2017 05:10 AM EDT
BRUSSELS — President Donald Trump's vague stances on climate and trade have frustrated U.S. allies just days before a major international summit in Italy, senior French and Italian officials said.
Officials from the G-7 countries meeting later this week are crafting the formal statement they’ll issue from the gathering, as is typically done ahead of such staid, prepackaged summits of world leaders. The French are leaning on Trump to clarify whether he wants to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, and Italy hopes he will agree to accept more migrants fleeing war in the Middle East or contribute funds to help Europe deal with the flood of people.
U.S. officials, however, have so far submitted broad points that fail to nail down positions on issues the leaders will discuss Friday and Saturday in Taormina, Italy, according to four foreign officials and one U.S. official reached by POLITICO. "We haven’t exactly seen the same situation before," said Pierre Vimont, a former French ambassador to the United States who said he had spoken to people involved in the G-7 negotiations. “It’s been difficult to find an agreement with the Americans.”
The discord could cause drama during Trump’s first foreign trip as president, which has so far gone smoothly. The president hasn’t made up his mind on key policies, and he has a habit of switching stances, leaving overseas allies guessing which way Trump will lean on major decisions that could affect domestic politics in their own countries.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/24/trump-europe-italy-summit-238735
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