G7 says no new sanctions on Russia, Syria for now

Rome, April 11 (IANS) The G7 group of nations has failed to reach an agreement over threatening new sanctions against Russia and Syria over last week's chemical attack.

The group was seeking a common position on the Syrian conflict, before US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson flies to Russia later on Tuesday to try to persuade it to abandon its Syrian ally, BBC reported.

The G7 nations during a meeting in the Italian city of Lucca agreed there was no solution to the Syria crisis with President Assad in power.

Sanctions against Russia and Syria will not be put in place until after an investigation into last week's apparent chemical attack, British government sources said.

Syria denied it carried out any chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week that left at least 89 people dead.

Members of the G7 group of leading industrialised nations agreed to delay implementing sanctions until there was "hard and irrefutable evidence" over the alleged chemical attack, said the report.

The meeting brought together Foreign Ministers from the US, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said the G7 had broadened consultations in Italy on Tuesday morning, with key regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Turkey.

He declared the talks "a political success".

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