Eurasia Press & News
US President Barack Obama arrived in Russia’s Saint Petersburg for the G20 summit, where officials said he will argue his case for military action against the Syrian regime over an alleged chemical weapons attack.
Obama was to be followed closely by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, who is accompanied by special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, in the hope of keeping alive an initiative for a peace conference on the embattled nation.
Obama emerged from a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe soon after his arrival to say they shared the view that chemical weapons use is a violation of international law that must be addressed.
Ben Rhodes, Obama’s Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications, said US officials will discuss their evidence of the chemical weapons attack with the Russian side.
Rhodes said Obama will “explain our current thinking” to allies and partners and explore what type of “political and diplomatic support they may express for our efforts to hold Syrian regime accountable”.
The United States has France’s support for military action, but several other G20 powers including China and Germany have firmly voiced their opposition.
