G8 at odds over Syria
RUSSIA: There is still no agreement among leaders of the world's
richest nations on the final text of a declaration that will touch upon
the protracted conflict in Syria, a Kremlin advisor said Thursday.
The leaders of the G8 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Russia and the United States -- will meet Friday and Saturday for
a summit at the Camp David presidential retreat near Washington.
Russia will be represented by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev after
Vladimir Putin, the newly inaugurated president and the country's
paramount leader, raised eyebrows in the West by suddenly cancelling his
visit.
"There are differences," Kremlin advisor Arkady Dvorkovich told
reporters, referring to the text of the G8 final declaration. "We are
continuing our work." A long-standing ally of Damascus, Moscow drew
international criticism for vetoing two UN Security Council resolutions
against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the conflict that
activists say has left 12,000 people dead. At international summits, the
Kremlin, which cautions against intervention in domestic affairs of
conflict-ridden countries like Syria and Libya, frequently finds itself
at odds with the rest of the G8.
Dvorkovich reiterated Russia's position that the international
community should send a "strong signal" not only to the Syrian
government but also to the opposition. AFP
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