ariel
09-06-2013, 02:16 PM
ST. PETERSBURG — President Obama met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit here Friday, as the U.S. leader used the final day of the summit to seek broader international support for a U.S.-led military strike on Syria, backing that he hopes would help legitimize military action in the minds of U.S. lawmakers and the American public.
Putin mentioned the meeting during a news conference, and a White House official confirmed it, without immediately providing details.
Putin, the summit host, said his meeting with Obama “was a very friendly conversation” lasting about 20 minutes. He said he listened to Obama’s arguments that the Syrian government must be punished for a devastating chemical weapons attack last month but that he continues to disagree with the U.S. position.
“Everybody remained with his position,” Putin said. “We do not agree with those arguments, but still we can hear them. We’re trying to find an agreement toward a peaceful settlement of this crisis.”
Obama has been pressing his counterparts on Syria in private talks on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here. He has not necessarily been seeking their military or financial support, U.S. officials said, but merely statements of agreement that Assad’s government should be punished with military action for using chemical weapons to kill hundreds of civilians Aug. 21 on the outskirts of Damascus.
With Russia blocking action on Syria at the United Nations Security Council, Obama is trying to build a separate international coalition backing a strike, deputy national security adviser Benjamin J. Rhodes told reporters Friday.
“What we’ll look for today and coming out of the summit is for countries to step forward and again make clear that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, the Assad regime is responsible and that there needs to be an international response that enforces the norm that prohibits the use of chemical weapons,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes declined to detail which G-20 countries have pledged Obama their support, but he said a number of European allies and Arab countries “understand the need for a military response.”
Obama made his case for a Syria attack with the attending leaders at a dinner Thursday night hosted by Putin, a key patron of Assad. The elaborate dinner, which included a spectacular fireworks display and laser light show, stretched until 2 a.m.
At the private dinner, there was a deep divide over whether military action was an appropriate response, as each of the leaders expressed his or her perspective.
“The president found it to be a very broad and substantive discussion, characterized by the seriousness with which people take the issue of chemical weapons,” Rhodes said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered his sharpest criticism of potential military action in Syria. While not referring directly to U.S. plans for a military strike, Ban made it clear that such action could be counterproductive.
“I must warn that ill-considered military action could cause serious and tragic consequences, and with an increased threat of further sectarian violence,” Ban said. “We should explore ways to avoid further militarization of the conflict and revitalize the search for a political settlement instead.”
Earlier Friday, Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussed differences on Syria as well as cyberscecurity.
“Although there will continue to be some significant disagreements and sources of tension, I’m confident that they can be managed,” Obama told reporters as he sat across from Xi at the start of their meeting.
Following their session, the White House announced an agreement with China to seek to eliminate some of the world’s most potent greenhouse gases through the 1978 Montreal Protocol, the landmark treaty that successfully phased out ozone-depleting substances decades ago.
The move provides a clear path for curbing a major contributor to global warming in the near term as world leaders grapple with the more challenging task of cutting carbon dioxide in the coming decades.
Obama also met formally with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and has scheduled a bilateral session Friday with French President François Hollande. Obama met informally on the margins of Thursday’s dinner with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Obama and Erdogan discussed Syria, Rhodes said, adding, “We feel quite aligned with Turkey and our approach to the issue.”
Also Thursday, Obama met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who has voiced outrage over U.S. surveillance programs and reports that the National Security Agency monitored her communications. Rousseff has threatened to cancel a visit to the United States, scheduled for October.
Obama assured Rousseff that he is working to address her concerns and that the United States respects Brazil’s views on surveillance programs, Rhodes said.
William Branigin and Juliet Eilperin in Washington and Colum Lynch at the United Nations contributed to this report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/at-g-20-summit-in-russia-obama-tries-to-build-international-support-for-strike-on-syria/2013/09/06/df02c128-16de-11e3-a2ec-b47e45e6f8ef_story.html
Putin mentioned the meeting during a news conference, and a White House official confirmed it, without immediately providing details.
Putin, the summit host, said his meeting with Obama “was a very friendly conversation” lasting about 20 minutes. He said he listened to Obama’s arguments that the Syrian government must be punished for a devastating chemical weapons attack last month but that he continues to disagree with the U.S. position.
“Everybody remained with his position,” Putin said. “We do not agree with those arguments, but still we can hear them. We’re trying to find an agreement toward a peaceful settlement of this crisis.”
Obama has been pressing his counterparts on Syria in private talks on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here. He has not necessarily been seeking their military or financial support, U.S. officials said, but merely statements of agreement that Assad’s government should be punished with military action for using chemical weapons to kill hundreds of civilians Aug. 21 on the outskirts of Damascus.
With Russia blocking action on Syria at the United Nations Security Council, Obama is trying to build a separate international coalition backing a strike, deputy national security adviser Benjamin J. Rhodes told reporters Friday.
“What we’ll look for today and coming out of the summit is for countries to step forward and again make clear that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, the Assad regime is responsible and that there needs to be an international response that enforces the norm that prohibits the use of chemical weapons,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes declined to detail which G-20 countries have pledged Obama their support, but he said a number of European allies and Arab countries “understand the need for a military response.”
Obama made his case for a Syria attack with the attending leaders at a dinner Thursday night hosted by Putin, a key patron of Assad. The elaborate dinner, which included a spectacular fireworks display and laser light show, stretched until 2 a.m.
At the private dinner, there was a deep divide over whether military action was an appropriate response, as each of the leaders expressed his or her perspective.
“The president found it to be a very broad and substantive discussion, characterized by the seriousness with which people take the issue of chemical weapons,” Rhodes said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered his sharpest criticism of potential military action in Syria. While not referring directly to U.S. plans for a military strike, Ban made it clear that such action could be counterproductive.
“I must warn that ill-considered military action could cause serious and tragic consequences, and with an increased threat of further sectarian violence,” Ban said. “We should explore ways to avoid further militarization of the conflict and revitalize the search for a political settlement instead.”
Earlier Friday, Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussed differences on Syria as well as cyberscecurity.
“Although there will continue to be some significant disagreements and sources of tension, I’m confident that they can be managed,” Obama told reporters as he sat across from Xi at the start of their meeting.
Following their session, the White House announced an agreement with China to seek to eliminate some of the world’s most potent greenhouse gases through the 1978 Montreal Protocol, the landmark treaty that successfully phased out ozone-depleting substances decades ago.
The move provides a clear path for curbing a major contributor to global warming in the near term as world leaders grapple with the more challenging task of cutting carbon dioxide in the coming decades.
Obama also met formally with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and has scheduled a bilateral session Friday with French President François Hollande. Obama met informally on the margins of Thursday’s dinner with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Obama and Erdogan discussed Syria, Rhodes said, adding, “We feel quite aligned with Turkey and our approach to the issue.”
Also Thursday, Obama met with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who has voiced outrage over U.S. surveillance programs and reports that the National Security Agency monitored her communications. Rousseff has threatened to cancel a visit to the United States, scheduled for October.
Obama assured Rousseff that he is working to address her concerns and that the United States respects Brazil’s views on surveillance programs, Rhodes said.
William Branigin and Juliet Eilperin in Washington and Colum Lynch at the United Nations contributed to this report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/at-g-20-summit-in-russia-obama-tries-to-build-international-support-for-strike-on-syria/2013/09/06/df02c128-16de-11e3-a2ec-b47e45e6f8ef_story.html