SAVELLETRI (BRINDISI) – «Whipped cream». «Electoral exploitation». «The attempt to insert disturbing elements into a G7 that is going very well».
By mid-afternoon the work in Borgo Egnazia, in the Brindisi countryside, seems to be proceeding without major hitches. There is an agreement on the use of frozen Russian assets and also a broad agreement on the partnership wanted by the USA to balance the Silk Road. Giorgia Meloni but she is troubled. “Irritated” according to those who work hand in hand with her. The reconstructions on the exclusion of the word “abortion” from the final text of the conclusions that will be presented today have continued to dominate the narrative of the Apulian summit for two days.
Special toy cars and parachutists with flags: the made in Italy welcome at the G7
And so in the golf club in front of the rough stone village that hosts the seven Greats of the Earth, just before the arrival of the leaders for the iconic flag ceremony, a caddy appears with some Italian diplomats on board. The mission is simple: to overturn an affair that would have seen France ask for more guarantees for women’s right to abortion, and Italy reject the attempt because it was in conflict with the pro-life policies adopted by our executive. “There is no substance” behind these controversies, the Italian sources explain, before launching into a reconstruction of the dynamics of the offending negotiation, which took place between Tuesday and Wednesday. «In the middle of the night (the Sherpas) arrived to deal with that paragraph» and the intention of some countries to «modify» the text was discovered, going beyond the simple reference to what was already contained in the final declaration of the G7 of Hiroshima last year. Document which in paragraph 43, from which “nothing has been removed”, reiterated the need to guarantee the right to abortion.
«We just said that where we wanted to go further we would like to rebalance» the text, explain the Italians. A new back and forth which, however, would have in all likelihood ended up greatly prolonging the negotiations on the document. “We all said enough together.” In fact, it would have been agreed not to intervene on the point, accepting the absence of the word “abortion” in the declarations. Upon explicit request, the Italian Sherpas and the staff of Palazzo Chigi prefer not to clarify the parts in the comedy and carefully avoid any reference to France. «It is already known how things went» they explain, just as in Rome the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida offers an alternative interpretation: «I don’t know if it was appropriate for a G7 in which the Pope also participates, if they chose to don’t put it there must be a reason.”
THE FRANCE AND USA VERSION
Reconstructions which, however, American and French sources – called into play after the words of Jack Sullivan, Joe Biden’s head of national security, who yesterday morning reiterated how the White House takes LGBTIQ+ rights into strong consideration – do not share. Seeing “an Italian interest” in telling the episode in this way. So much so that in the evening, immediately after the photo opportunity in which a certain tension between Emmanuel Macron and Meloni was quite palpable, the French president said he was “sorry for the lack of the word abortion” in the text, recognizing ” different sensitivities” between the Elysée and the Italian presidency. «France shares a vision of equality between men and women – he added when speaking to journalists – it is not a vision shared by the entire political spectrum. I’m very sorry but I respect it because it was the sovereign choice of your people.” A direct and quite violent attack firstly on Meloni’s electoral victory, and secondly on the prime minister’s closeness with Macron’s opponent Marine Le Pen. In any case, it is destined to leave more than a few consequences. Furthermore, already on Wednesday the Prime Minister had privately blurted out towards the Frenchman, with whom the negotiations to compose the next European Commission are expected to be very complicated. In fact, on the eve of the summit, the French president had anticipated the success of the negotiations to unblock the use of frozen Russian assets as collateral for the 50 billion dollar loan to be allocated to Ukraine.
THE REPLICA
Clashes after clashes, which today are unlikely to leave any consequences. Also because in the evening it is the prime minister who replies. “It’s a totally specious controversy,” she explained to journalists, confirming the version offered by the Sherpas a few hours earlier. «If the conclusions do not introduce new topics, in order not to be unnecessarily repetitive, they simply recall what has already been declared in previous summits. There is no reason to argue about issues that we have already agreed on for some time. And I believe it is profoundly wrong, in difficult times like these, to campaign using a precious forum like the G7.” And there are still at least twenty-four hours until the summit closes.
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