British PM admits failure in G20 talks to rally backing for Syria invasion

Iran Press TV

Fri Sep 6, 2013 2:33PM GMT

British Prime Minister David Cameron has acknowledged failure to rally support for his and U.S. President Barack Obama’s push for launching an invasion on Syria over alleged chemical weapons’ use by President Bashar al-Assad forces.

David Cameron blamed Russians for the failure, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “miles away” from what he called “the truth” about the chemical attack.

The British premier held talks with Putin earlier in the day, before the final day of the G20 summit started in Saint Petersburg.

Cameron also confirmed that deep divisions over Syria were voiced at Thursday night's four-hour official dinner hosted by the Russian president.

"This G20 was never going to reach conclusions on Syria - the divisions are too great”, said Cameron.

"The Russian position that, as Putin has said, if it is proved it is Assad he will take a different view but he is fairly clear that it is the opposition, is miles away from what I think the truth is and miles away from what lots of us believe", he claimed.
Following a 35-minute face-to-face meeting with Putin, Cameron said: "He says to me that he would like to see further evidence of regime culpability.

"We will go on providing evidence of regime culpability, as will the Americans and others, but I think it will take a lot to change his mind", added the Prime Minister.

So far only France has signaled that it will join any armed invasion against Syria if launched by Britain and the U.S.

Putin, who is strongly opposed to attempts led by U.S. to attack Syria militarily, has rallied opposition to such conspiracies and blocked Obama-Cameron’s attempts to win a UN Security Council approval.

Several other countries, including China, support the Russian president’s argument that any action must be approved by the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile, David Cameron was forced to hit back after a Kremlin official reportedly told Russian reporters at the G20 summit that the UK was “just a small island: no one pays any attention to them”.

This was while that Putin’s chief spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that he had made the “small island” comment. However, Downing Street last night demanded clarification from Putin’s office after the remark was reported.

“I’ve been told that the Russians absolutely deny making the remark, and certainly no one’s made it to me”, Cameron, himself, told journalists.

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