G7 Summit: Migration and Famine Focus on Day Two

On Friday, refugees arrived in Italy. Because of the G7 summit, a rescue vessel was not allowed to sail Sicily

At the G7 summit in Italy, the seven leading Western industries struggled for a common line. On the second day, when representatives of African states are negotiating, it is mainly about refugees.

The summit of Taormina on the island of Sicily was chosen not only for its picturesque bay. A few nautic miles further outside, the humanitarian catastrophe continues. 50,000 refugees have made the dangerous journey from North Africa in often unsuitable boats to Italy this year. The largest part landed in Sicily. More than 1300 have been lost.

Italy's Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, wants to talk about migration and the fight against famine at the G7 meeting. These topics will be dealt with more intensively on Saturday, with five African countries joining the summit with Tunisia, Niger, Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia.

At the meeting point Taormina in Sicily, a new helicopter landing field was built directly on the sea

Host Italy had previously tried to look at the positive influences of refugees. The United States, however, has blocked a comprehensive plan, which emphasizes the chances of immigration and the protection of refugees, as well as an initiative for food security. Instead, the US insisted on the inclusion of two paragraphs in the Final Declaration, which stressed above all security and border protection.

Extreme deficit in relief funds

Never before has the gap between available financial resources and humanitarian needs been so great. Development organizations appealed to the G7 to provide more money for the United Nations aid appraisal over $ 6.9 billion. So far, only 30 percent of commitments have been made. The organization Oxfam warned that 30 million people in four countries - South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria - are threatening a famine.

At the end of the second-day meeting, only a brief final statement is expected because of the differences with the USA. A European diplomat suggested that it could only be six pages long compared to 32 last year. Disagreement prevailed particularly on free trade, climate protection and the refugee crisis. Also overnight was negotiated further.