SYRIA CONFLICT
Tillerson has backing of G7 peers as he heads to Moscow for crucial talks on Syria
‘All the Group of Seven states want to avoid a military escalation and want a political solution without a new spiral of violence’
Lucca — Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers warned against military escalation in Syria on Tuesday, throwing their support behind US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as he readies for crunch talks in Moscow, a key Damascus ally. As diplomats from the seven major advanced economies gathered for talks in the Italian city of Lucca, they were joined by their counterparts from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar for a special meeting on Syria which was convened by Italy. "All the G7 states want to avoid a military escalation and want a political solution without a new spiral of violence," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said after talks in the Tuscan city. "We want to bring Russia around to supporting the political process for a peaceful resolution of the Syrian conflict." Gabriel said Tillerson had "all our support" for his talks in Moscow, where he heads later on Tuesday. Ahead of Tillerson’s trip, Washington has stepped up the pressure on Mo...
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