By John Irish
PARIS, Nov 5 (Reuters) – France has moved a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting from Marseille to Paris at the last minute, according to three diplomats and an email seen by Reuters on Thursday, a move that comes after six weeks of nationwide protests.
The second foreign ministers’ meeting scheduled during France’s G7 presidency was due to take place in the Mediterranean port city from November 9 to 10. France informed delegations on Wednesday that it would now be moved to the French capital.
“The meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers will ultimately be held on Monday and Tuesday in Paris,” according to the correspondence.
“This change is primarily due to logistical and operational reasons. The scheduling of the G7 and the Paris Peace Forum in a very compressed timeframe requires significant mobilisation of human resources, equipment, security, accommodation and transportation for the delegations.”
Security forces have been stretched since September due to an ongoing student protest movement that has widened into broader demonstrations. Further protests are taking place on Thursday.
On October 17, protests across multiple cities ended with looting and clashes between demonstrators and police, with Marseille the scene of some of the worst violence.
Other than France, the G7 includes Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the European Union.
Diplomats said some delegations already had a presence in Marseille. Other delegates and journalists would have convened at the start of the week.
The event, which involves ministers including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, had been in the works for months and last-minute changes are rare, the diplomats said.
It was not clear whether the organisers would reimburse participants.
France’s foreign ministry confirmed the venue change without giving further details.
The Paris Peace Forum, an annual diplomacy conference, and G7 had both been scheduled for those dates for several months and there had been no indication of any changes earlier this week.
The diplomats described the decision as chaotic, saying it would harm France’s image.
(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Makini Brice and Sharon Singleton)
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