Italian seaside town prepares to host G7 summit

Описание: (25 May 2017) The tiny seaside town of Taormina, Sicily is bracing for the onslaught of thousands of journalists, diplomats and officials as the leaders of G7 countries arrive for a two-day summit on Friday.
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were expected to arrive in Sicily on Thursday evening, followed by the leaders of France, Germany, Canada, and Britain.
The Italian government is hosting the event.
The town was teeming with soldiers and police were standing on street corners and at the entrance to most buildings on Thursday.
Taormina is perched on a hilly outcrop looking out towards the Ionian Sea.
For generations Taormina has attracted tourists and intellectuals for its unusual beauty.
On Thursday morning cousins Salvatore and Carmelo Cannizzaro were playing cards at a coffee shop next to the seashore.
Carmelo suggested that they should host a G7 every year because it meant their his local area was cleaned up.
Maria Grimellano also was pleased that the pot-holed road in front of her home had been re-paved for the arrival of world leaders.
Franco Antonelli was a little less optimistic.
He was boarding up the front of his home in fear that anti-G7 protesters might damage it.
A group of Greenpeace activists took advantage of a momentary calm before the arrival of the leaders to release a banner demanding action from the leaders on climate change.
The climate is on the agenda for discussion but the possibility of reaching an agreement does not look promising.
President Trump's decision to review US policies related to climate change and greenhouse gases has taken the United States out of step with its G7 partners and resulted in the failure to reach a common declaration during a meeting of energy officials earlier this year in Rome.
Environmental activists are hoping that leaders avoid deadlock here, but that might not happen.
Trump has said he will make a decision on whether to opt out of the Paris Agreement on fighting global warming only after the summit, leaving scant hope of even a compromise deal in Sicily.

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