France, March 27 -- South Africa, a regular guest at past G7 summits, said Thursday that it had been excluded from the G7 summit, after initially being invited about two weeks ago, saying the US had threatened to boycott the summit if South Africa was invited.

"We've accepted the French decision and appreciate the pressure they've been subjected to," said Vincent Magwenya, a spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Thursday.

But Ramaphosa backtracked a few hours later, saying according to "his information" there had been "no pressure from any country", whether the US or another.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that his country had "not yielded to any pressure" but had opted for a "streamlined G7", inviting...