G20 leaders have failed to agree on any punitive action against the Assad regime in Syria, or even that it had been responsible for the chemical weapons attack east of Damascus in August.
The majority of leaders at a summit dinner on Thursday evening in Peterhof, near Saint Petersburg, were not in favour of any punitive action unless it was agreed by the UN security council, although strong calls for the UN to live up to its responsibilities were made by the Americans, the Turkish, Canadians, French and British.
The UK prime minister, David Cameron, described the debate at the four-hour dinner as passionate, but said the summit was never going to reach agreement on Syria due to the depth of divisions.
He expressed his frustration with the insistence by Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, that the chemical attack that may have claimed more than 1,000 lives was undertaken by rebel forces rather than the government. He said Putin "was miles away from what I think the truth is and miles away from what many of us believe".
Cameron expressed scepticism that Putin could be persuaded by any evidence that the chemical attack was launched by the government's forces. Cameron reported Putin "said to me he would like to see further evidence of regime culpability and we will go on providing him evidence, but I think it will take a lot to change his mind, let me put it that way".
During the dinner, Putin told Barack Obama and François Hollande that the chances of reviving peace talks soon after a punitive bombing strike would be minimal.
The Russian leader won the support of the Chinese, a long-term ally of Putin on Syria, but backing also came from the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, Argentina, Brazil and several European leaders, including Angela Merkel. One German diplomat said "Putin did not need to toughen his tone at the dinner. There were enough skeptics."
Desperate efforts by the French delegation to establish at the least a common European position appear to have failed, with French fury aimed at the EU president of the council, Herman Van Rompuy, for criticising an attack without first consulting EU foreign ministers on his position.
Read more: G20 summit: Syria divides deepen during dinner hosted by Putin | World news | theguardian.com
The majority of leaders at a summit dinner on Thursday evening in Peterhof, near Saint Petersburg, were not in favour of any punitive action unless it was agreed by the UN security council, although strong calls for the UN to live up to its responsibilities were made by the Americans, the Turkish, Canadians, French and British.
The UK prime minister, David Cameron, described the debate at the four-hour dinner as passionate, but said the summit was never going to reach agreement on Syria due to the depth of divisions.
He expressed his frustration with the insistence by Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, that the chemical attack that may have claimed more than 1,000 lives was undertaken by rebel forces rather than the government. He said Putin "was miles away from what I think the truth is and miles away from what many of us believe".
Cameron expressed scepticism that Putin could be persuaded by any evidence that the chemical attack was launched by the government's forces. Cameron reported Putin "said to me he would like to see further evidence of regime culpability and we will go on providing him evidence, but I think it will take a lot to change his mind, let me put it that way".
During the dinner, Putin told Barack Obama and François Hollande that the chances of reviving peace talks soon after a punitive bombing strike would be minimal.
The Russian leader won the support of the Chinese, a long-term ally of Putin on Syria, but backing also came from the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, Argentina, Brazil and several European leaders, including Angela Merkel. One German diplomat said "Putin did not need to toughen his tone at the dinner. There were enough skeptics."
Desperate efforts by the French delegation to establish at the least a common European position appear to have failed, with French fury aimed at the EU president of the council, Herman Van Rompuy, for criticising an attack without first consulting EU foreign ministers on his position.
Read more: G20 summit: Syria divides deepen during dinner hosted by Putin | World news | theguardian.com
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