25 August
Leaders of the Group of Seven countries have agreed to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power and pledged to seek peace and stability in the Middle East.
The summit opened on Saturday evening in the French resort of Biarritz as the leaders met at a closed-door dinner. Japanese government officials say that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe touched upon his visit to Iran in June. He is said to have expressed grave concern over Iran's uranium enrichment level exceeding the limit. And the officials say that he stressed Japan's determination to continue with diplomatic efforts. The leaders, reportedly, concurred that nobody wants war.
It seems that the leaders did not discuss the international coalition in the Strait of Hormuz which Washington is proposing. Instead they are believed to have talked about President Donald Trump's call for inviting Russia to rejoin the summit group to form a Group of Eight. But they confirmed that they will not divulge what exactly they discussed. Russia was excluded from the group after it annexed Crimea in 2014. Abe is said to have asked other participants to set aside enough time to discuss North Korean issues and the situation in China, and they agreed to talk about them in the following days.
The leaders also talked about large-scale wildfires consuming the Amazon rainforest. They agreed on providing firefighting support and other assistance.—NHK
