G7 ministers hope to agree on joint statement on fight against global issues

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies were wrapping up a two-day meeting in the French seaside resort of Dinard on Saturday where they hope to seal joint commitments on a range of global challenges and lay the groundwork for August's G-7 summit in Biarritz. Diplomats from G-7 countries, which include the US, France, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and the UK, walked side-by-side against the rocky Atlantic coast backdrop and in the fresh Brittany air to project a united front before a working lunch.

They hope to agree on a joint statement on the fight against trafficking drugs, arms and migrants in Africa's troubled Sahel region, fighting cybercrime and stopping sexual violence against women in conflict zones, especially in Africa. But British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was missing from the group photo after attending Friday's session, as was US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, raising questions about the relevance of the G-7 meeting. US officials also said that points of discord will also be discussed at the talks led by the host, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

US Deputy Secretary of State John J Sullivan said that Washington will use the G-7 forum to galvanise support for Venezuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, who the US has backed to lead the country into a "democratic transformation from the failed regime" of President Nicolas Maduro. Guaidó has embarked on an international campaign to topple the socialist administration of Venezuela's president amid deepening unrest in the country, which has been plagued by nearly a month of power outages. Washington seems to be at odds with Italy over its stance on the crisis-hit South American country, being the sole G-7 member state to not back Guaidó.

The US and Canada have pursued a pro-active stance on widening support for Guaidó, according to French officials. But there has already been widespread alarm after Guaidó was stripped of immunity by Maduro loyalists earlier this week. "With Juan Guaidó being stripped of his immunity ... we don't want the situation to escalate," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in Dinard on Saturday. "We are still of the opinion that free elections should take place during which Venezuelans can decide themselves who will lead the country," he added. Italy has also irked EU and US allies by becoming the first G-7 member to sign up to a contentious Chinese plan to build a Silk Road-style global trade network, the trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative.

(With inputs from agencies.)