A Palace near St. Petersburgh
Source: BBC
World leaders meeting for the final day of the G20 summit in Russia remain divided over military action in Syria.
Italian PM Enrico Letta said the splits in opinion were confirmed at Thursday’s working dinner in St Petersburg.
A spokesman for the Russian presidency said a US military strike on Syria would “drive another nail into the coffin of international law”.
At the UN, the US ambassador accused Russia of holding the Security Council hostage by blocking resolutions.
Analysis
With the US looking increasingly isolated over Syria, Vladimir Putin will be satisfied with the way the G20 is going. He has made no secret of his opposition to US military intervention. From what world leaders have said over the last 24 hours, he will assume Moscow’s message has been getting through.
From China to the EU to the Vatican, the message is clear: there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict.
Curiously, President Putin’s spokesman has suggested the G20 is “split down the middle” over Syria. He said some countries were demanding “hasty action”, while others stressed the importance of the UN Security Council. Yet opponents of urgent military action appear to far outnumber supporters at the summit.
Categories: Syria