stop short of #2
ぎこちない首脳会談でしたね。
Improving relations with S. Korea still an issue for Japan after trilateral summit
The summit talks between Japan, the United States and South Korea on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague have failed to brighten the prospects for improving Tokyo's relations with Seoul, which have been strained over differing interpretations of history.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed during the March 25 meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye to work closely to respond to the tense North Korean situation. However, Abe and Park stopped short of discussing historical perceptions relating to Japan's wartime atrocities, a sticking issue between the two countries.
Abe told Park in Korean, "I'm glad to meet you President Park Geun-hye," at the outset of the summit. However, the South Korean president simply gave Abe a glance without smiling, highlighting the difficulties involved in improving bilateral relations.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/perspectives/news/20140327p2a00m0na004000c.html
stop short ofは「…するまでには到らない、する手前で踏みとどまる」という意味のイディオムです。ここは「慰安婦/歴史認識の問題についての議論はさけた」となります。（UG）
