White House accuses Cyril Ramaphosa of indiscretion, US won't attend G20 summit in South Africa

The White House has criticized the South African president for "indiscretion" in his remarks about the US boycott of the G20 summit in Johannesburg over the weekend, the latest diplomatic clash between the US and a country that has been particularly criticized by President Donald Trump, the Associated Press reported.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters in Johannesburg that the US had signaled it was changing its decision to boycott the G20 leaders' meeting at the "last minute" and want to participate.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said that was not true and had harsh words for Ramaphosa.

"I saw the South African president speak a little bit harshly against the United States and the president of the United States, and that language is not to the liking of the president or his team," Levitt said at the White House.

She said the United States was sending a diplomatic representative to the meeting simply to confirm that the United States would take over the rotating presidency of the bloc and host the G-20 meeting next year.

A representative from the U.S. Embassy in South Africa will attend the formal handover ceremony at the end of the two-day summit, which begins on Saturday, but Washington will not participate in any negotiations, a White House official said.

Trump announced this month that no representative of The US government will not attend the meeting of world leaders from rich and developing countries in South Africa's largest city.

Trump cited his allegations that South Africa is violently persecuting white farmers from the country's Afrikaner minority as the reason for the US boycott. Trump's statements were rejected.

The formal handover ceremony is a tradition at the end of each G20 meeting, and Ramaphosa had previously expressed disappointment that the US boycott would mean he would hand over the presidency to an "empty chair" at the end of the meeting.