Refugees out of sight, but not out of mind for G7
ROME: When US President Donald Trump and other leaders of the world’s seven major industrialised nations gather in Sicily tomorrow, they will enjoy a view of the Mediterranean Sea, but won’t get any glimpse of boats full of refugees.
A common sight off Sicily in recent years, the authorities have banned all refugee landings on the island during the Group of Seven Summit for security reasons, telling rescue vessels that pick them up at sea to take them to the mainland during the two-day meeting.
But out of sight does not mean out of mind. Italy chose to host the summit in Taormina, on the Sicilian cliffs, to concentrate minds on Europe’s refugee crisis and to seek ways of developing Africa’s economy to hold back the human tide.
“Africa is very important for us. Indeed, it is perhaps the focus of our G7 presidency,” said Raffaele Trombetta, the senior Italian diplomat who has led behind-the-scenes negotiations on the G7 agenda with colleagues from the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France and Canada.
“We don’t just want to talk about crises, like migration and famine, but also to promote innovation in Africa and see what we can do to help,” he said.
Trump will face concerted pressure to commit to the 2015 Paris Agreement to slash greenhouse gas emissions and to water down his protectionist trade tendencies. Reuters