JOHANNESBURG (AP) \u2014 The White House hit out Thursday at South Africa\u2019s leader for \u201crunning his mouth\u201d over the United States\u2019 boycott of this weekend\u2019s Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg in another diplomatic rift between the U.S. and a country that has been especially targeted for criticism by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters in Johannesburg that the U.S. had indicated it was changing its mind over its boycott of the G20 leaders summit at the \u201c11th hour\u201d and wanted to take part.<\/p>\n
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that was not true and had sharp words for Ramaphosa in response.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the South African president running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president of the United States earlier today, and that language is not appreciated by the president or his team,\u201d Leavitt said at the White House.<\/p>\n
She said the U.S. was sending a diplomatic official to the summit to simply recognize that the U.S. will take over the rotating presidency of the bloc and host near year\u2019s G20 summit.<\/p>\n
A representative from the U.S. Embassy in South Africa will attend the formal handover ceremony at the end of the two-day summit that opens on Saturday, but Washington still won\u2019t take part in any talks, a White House official said. The official wasn\u2019t authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
Trump announced this month<\/a> that no U.S. government official would attend the meeting of world leaders from rich and developing countries in South Africa\u2019s biggest city.<\/p>\n Trump cited his claims that South Africa is violently persecuting the country\u2019s white Afrikaner minority<\/a> farmers as the reason for the U.S. boycott. Those statements by Trump have been widely rejected.<\/p>\n Handover ceremony<\/p>\n A formal handover ceremony is traditional at the end of each G20 summit and Ramaphosa previously expressed disappointment that the U.S. boycott would mean that he hands over to an \u201cempty chair\u201d at the end of the summit.<\/p>\n On Thursday, the South African president said that he welcomed U.S. participation at Africa\u2019s first G20 summit \u201cin one shape or form or another\u201d and viewed the late communication as a \u201cpleasing\u201d change of approach from the world\u2019s biggest economy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States is a member of the G20, they are an original member of the G20, so they have the right to be here,\u201d Ramaphosa said. \u201cAnd all we are seeking to do is looking at the practicalities … for them to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. boycott<\/p>\n Ramaphosa had also addressed the U.S. boycott \u2014 which threatens to undermine the summit \u2014 earlier Thursday, when he said that the G20 meeting would issue a joint declaration, despite pressure from Washington not to issue one. <\/p>\n A South African G20 official said earlier this week that the U.S. had sent diplomatic communication to South Africa advising that there should be no declaration adopted at the summit, because the U.S. wasn\u2019t there and therefore there would be no consensus.<\/p>\n Instead, the U.S. wants a toned-down statement from South Africa only to cap the summit, which is a culmination of more than 120 meetings that Africa\u2019s most advanced economy has hosted since it took over the G20\u2019s rotating presidency for this year.<\/p>\n \u2018We will not be bullied\u2019<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters after an earlier speech, Ramaphosa said: \u201cWe will have a declaration. The talks are going extremely well. I\u2019m confident we are moving towards a declaration, and they are now just dotting the i\u2019s and crossing the t\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWithout the United States, the whole process of the G20 is moving forward. We will not be bullied. We will not agree to be bullied.\u201d<\/p>\n Other leaders have expressed hope that the summit results in a declaration. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday that he hopes for \u201cjoint decisions,\u201d but conceded that \u201cthat is not entirely certain.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s criticism<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly targeted South Africa for criticism since he returned to office. He held a tense meeting with Ramaphosa<\/a> at the White House in May, when he confronted South Africa\u2019s leader with baseless claims of widespread violence against Afrikaners, who are descendants of Dutch, French and German settlers who first came to South Africa in the 17th century.<\/p>\n The U.S. president has repeated his claims in the leadup to the G20 that Ramaphosa\u2019s Black-led government is pursuing racist anti-white policies against Afrikaners.<\/p>\n G20 agenda<\/p>\n The G20 is a bloc made up of 19 nations, including the richest but also the top developing economies, the European Union and the African Union. The bloc is meant to bring developed and developing nations together to find solutions to global problems.<\/p>\n South Africa, which is the first African nation to hold the rotating presidency, is hoping to use its summit to make progress on issues especially affecting poor countries. That includes mitigating the impact of climate change<\/a> and weather-related disasters, easing debt burdens for developing countries and confronting global wealth inequality<\/a>.<\/p>\n European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Ant\u00f3nio Costa met with Ramaphosa on Thursday in Johannesburg and expressed support for South Africa\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n The U.S. has previously derided South Africa\u2019s priorities for the group, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipping a G20 foreign ministers meeting in February and dismissing South Africa\u2019s priorities as being about diversity, equity and inclusion and climate change.<\/p>\n Rubio said that he wouldn\u2019t waste U.S. taxpayer money on that agenda.<\/p>\n Other leaders are also skipping the G20 summit, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Argentine President Javier Milei, but they have sent delegations to represent them in the talks.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only country that is not in the room is the United States and, of course, it is their choice not to be in the room,\u201d Xolisa Mabhongo, a South African ambassador to the G20, told national broadcaster SABC this week.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Michelle L. Price reported from Washington.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n