Hague meets Syrian opposition as war dominates G20 talks

FOREIGN Secretary William Hague met with the Syrian opposition leader in London yesterday as tensions over an international response against the Assad regime overshadowed the G20 summit in Russia.
Foreign Secretary William Hague meets the President of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmed Asi Al JarbaForeign Secretary William Hague meets the President of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmed Asi Al Jarba
Foreign Secretary William Hague meets the President of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmed Asi Al Jarba

Mr Hague insisted the UK remains “fully behind” the Syrian opposition as he and the National Coalition president Ahmad Al-Jarba discussed ways Britain could provide “further non-lethal support” for the struggle against Bashar Assad’s rule.

“President Al-Jarba and the people of Syria should be in no doubt that the UK stands fully behind the Syrian National opposition – the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people,” Mr Hague said after the talks.

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“They are the best possible hope for a political solution to the crisis and for a future Syria which is stable and democratic.”

He said the UK will lead international efforts for humanitarian assistance to the estimated two million refugees who have fled the war-torn country, and the four million who have been forced from their homes. UK involvement in military reprisals against Assad was ruled out after David Cameron suffered a surprise defeat in the Commons last week.

But the Prime Minister has said he will still make the case at the G20 summit in Russia for a robust international response to the use of chemical weapons.

Mr Cameron was last night forced to deny he had been sidelined, amid reports an aide to the Russian president had dismissed Britain as “just a small island; no one pays any attention to them”.

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The comment was attributed by BBC political editor Nick Robinson to Mr Putin’s spokesman, who later fiercely denied making the remark, which he said did not reflect the reality of Moscow’s view of the UK.

Asked later for his response, Mr Cameron said: “Well I don’t accept that for a moment.”

He added: “Britain will be one of the leaders in bringing forward plans for a peace process for Syria. Britain will be leading the argument across the globe for continuing to respond strongly on chemical weapons.”

After his arrival in St Petersburg, US President Barack Obama met on the summit’s sidelines with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and will have similar meetings with leaders of France and China on Friday.

But the summit’s host nation is the biggest obstacle to Mr Obama’s hopes of united action.

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