G7 FMs, Middle East allies discuss Syria in extraordinary meeting

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries and key allies from the Middle East discussed the Syria issue in an extraordinary meeting held in the Tuscan city of Lucca, central Italy, on Tuesday.

The meeting happened on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting taking place in the same city on April 10-11, and included diplomats from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

At the press conference after the meeting, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano described the U.S. intervention as a window of opportunity.

"After the American intervention, a window of opportunity has opened up to create a new positive framework for a political process in Syria, which we believe is the only solution," said Alfano.

He also voiced against an isolation of Russia in the political process in Syria.

"Russia should not be isolated, but rather involved -- within the bounds of possibility -- in the process of political transition in Syrian," said the Italian minister.

On this perspective, the G7 foreign ministers and their five Middle Eastern counterparts would be "significantly united," Ansa news agency quoted Alfano as saying.

The G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Lucca, and its extraordinary enlarged session focused on Syria, came after the recent airstrikes by the U.S. against Syrian government's forces, a move, the U.S. administration said, was intended to deter the Syrian government from using chemical weapons again.

Both meetings also occurred only hours ahead of a sensitive visit of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Russia.

Regarding the Syrian crisis and the alleged chemical weapons attack, Alfano said he held phone talks with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday.

In the call, Alfano expressed his hope that "Iran may exercise all of its influence on the Syrian regime to avoid further attacks on civilians, thus totally eliminating chemical weapons," the minister's office said in a statement.

"The Iranian minister reiterated Tehran's condemnation of the unacceptable use of chemical weapons, and also urged an independent investigation of the episode be carried out under the aegis of the United Nations," it added. Endit