Tide of opinion turns from US position at G20 summit

The tide of international opinion appeared to be turning further against US president Barack Obama's plans for military action in Syria as the first day of the G20 summit drew to a close in St Petersburg.

The host, President Vladimir Putin, and China, his main ally on the issue, started the morning as the main opponents of a military strike but there were major shifts in their favour as the day went on. A statement from the European Union and a letter from Pope Francis both emphasised the need to avoid military action.

As the day ended in the glittering Konstantinovsky Palace in St Petersburg, France appeared to be the only country giving Mr Obama’s plans its wholehearted support. Mr Putin had kept Syria off the agenda during the first day of talks before announcing that the evening meal would be the venue for discussions on the crisis.

Papal letter
The EU statement said there was "no military solution to the conflict", and a letter addressed to G20 leaders from Pope Francis asking them to "abandon the futile pursuit of a military solution" shifted the balance of opinion towards those who, like Mr Putin, want any decision on a military strike, limited or otherwise, to be taken through the United Nations Security Council.

While carrying little direct political weight, the pope's views are likely to have a strong influence on sections of public opinion in the United States, where Mr Obama faces a vote from the two houses of Congress for his proposed strike on Syria.

With reports suggesting that UN inspectors will take another three weeks before their report can be delivered, the US has the choice of waiting that length of time or going ahead on its own evidence before the UN report is ready.

Power criticism
The latter seemed more likely after Irish-born US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power yesterday suggested the administration had given up trying to work with the UN Security Council on the issue, accusing Russia of holding the council hostage.

Ms Power said a draft resolution Britain submitted to the five permanent council members last week calling for a response to the alleged chemical attack in Damascus on August 21st was effectively dead.

“Our considered view, after months of efforts on chemical weapons and after 2½ years of efforts on Geneva [peace talks], the humanitarian situation is that there is no viable path forward in this security council,” she said.

British prime minister David Cameron announced that his country's experts had confirmed that Sarin had been used in the attack but Mr Putin had already stated he needed far more detailed evidence about the provenance of the gas before he would be prepared to support any action.

In any event he would give his support only if that conclusive scientific evidence was put before the UN Security Council, at which Russia and China have vetoes.

The European Union, which is represented at the summit, also came down on the side of UN authorisation.

UN process
Herman van Rompuy, president of the European Council, said in a statement directed at the summit: "While respecting the recent calls for action, we underscore at the same time the need to move forward with addressing the Syrian crisis through the UN process."

In the economic discussions, which were overshadowed by the Syrian crisis, there was a disagreement between representatives of the developed emerging countries over the effects on the global economy on the prospect of a diminution of US monetary stimulus as the flood of dollars into the world economy is reduced.

“Our main task is returning the global economy towards steady and balanced growth. This task has unfortunately not been resolved,” Mr Putin told leaders. – (Additional reporting Reuters)