Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)

G-20 leaders agree on trade and migration while the U.S. went its own way on climate.

- By Angela Charlton, Luis Andres Henao and Peter Orsi

Leaders of the world’s top economies agreed Saturday to repair the global trading system as they closed a Group of 20 summit that saw the Trump administra­tion at odds with allies over the Paris accord on climate change and migration.

A statement signed by all 20 member nations said 19 of them reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris climate accord, with the United States, which withdrew from the pact under President Donald Trump, the holdout. The official communique acknowledg­ed flaws in global commerce and called for reformatio­n of the World Trade Organizati­on, but it didn’t mention the word “protection­ism” after negotiator­s said that had met resistance from the United States.

Applause broke out in the convention center hall as the leaders, including Trump, signed off on the statement at the end of the two-day summit in the Argentine capital, the first time it has been held in South America.

European Union officials said the United States was the main holdout on nearly every issue. Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU.

But China also pushed back in talks on steel, South Africa objected to language on trade, Australia didn’t want the statement to be too soft on migration, and Turkey worried it would push too far on climate change, according to the officials.

A White House official said the joint statement meets many U.S. objectives and stressed that it includes language about WTO reform.

The final language of the statement said, regarding climate, that 19 nations that are signatorie­s to the Paris accord reiterate their commitment to it while the U.S. reiterates its decision to withdraw. It also expresses support for an upcoming U.N. climate meeting in Poland meant to nail down how countries will meet promises made in the Paris accord.

On migration, European officials said the U.S. negotiator said too much talk about it would have been a “deal-breaker” for Trump. So they came up with “minimalist” language that acknowledg­es growing migrant flows and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee.

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