G8 leaders ‘close’ to agreement on Syria

Leaders at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland are said to be close to signing a joint statement on Syria, despite differences on the raging conflict.
Russia and the US are backing opposite sides, but officials say the statement could be agreed later in the day.This could include the proposed peace conference in Geneva, and more access for deliveries of humanitarian aid.

The G8 leaders also issued a declaration, committing themselves to “fight the scourge of tax evasion”.
The document — adopted on the final day of the summit — urges countries to “change rules that let companies shift their profits across borders to avoid taxes, and multinationals should report to tax authorities what tax they pay where”.

It also says that “governments should roll back protectionism and agree new trade deals that boost jobs and growth worldwide”.
The British government has tried to make tax, trade and transparency — the so-called “Three Ts” — focal issues of the two-day gathering.

Earlier yesterday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the BBC that Moscow would sign up to the statement on Syria later in the day.

But he stressed the Kremlin wanted each of the Syrian sides in the talks to select not only their own delegations but the future terms of any transitional government.

Ryabkov sidestepped the question of whether this could leave open a role for President Bashar al-Assad in the future, reports the BBC’s Bridget Kendall from the Enniskillen summit.

To try to get as much consensus as possible on Syria, UK Prime Minister David Cameron — who is hosting the summit— held a working dinner on Monday night.

The leaders were alone, with no officials present, allowing them to express their views frankly.
After the meeting, British officials appeared more optimistic that an agreement could be reached on the joint statement on Syria.

Russia’s president fidgeted, looked awkward and moved his neck oddly, his body language screaming that he would be rather be anywhere else than at this summit.

However, they said it would take more work to agree the precise language.
Earlier on Monday, the British had raised the possibility of the other G8 nations issuing an end-of-conference statement without the participation of Russia.

But it now seems that Mr Putin is willing to consider some kind of joint stance, according to officials.
The communique is likely to back the launch of Syrian peace negotiations in Geneva, and insist that humanitarian aid agencies like the Red Cross are given access to all parts of the country.

According to the BBC’s UK political editor, Nick Robinson, the issue which is causing most difficulties for the G8 members is what they should say about the transition to a new Syrian government after any new round of peace negotiations.

Any statement which emerges may not be all that ambitious, correspondents warn — and even then, it is far from certain that any agreement will change the appalling reality in Syria itself.

The White House announced last week that it would provide military aid to the Syrian rebels. Russia meanwhile supplies weapons to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin met for an hour of bilateral talks on Monday, and at a sombre press conference afterwards it was clear they had had a difficult exchange. Both men acknowledged their differences but said they shared a common desire to stop the bloodshed. — AP.