A meeting of G7 nations on the environment begins in Paris on Thursday, but climate change has been left off the agenda to avoid a row with the United States.
The office of France's ecology minister Monique Barbut said the two-day meeting would focus on "less contentious issues" in an effort to appease the largest and most powerful G7 member.
"We chose not to address the climate issue head-on ... because the United States' positions on this subject are well known," the ministry said.
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