G8 leaders issued a
closing statement on the second and final day of their summit in Northern
Ireland backing calls for Syria peace talks in Geneva "as soon as possible."
The UK's David Cameron
said leaders had "overcome fundamental differences,” but there was no
timetable for the Geneva talks or mention of Bashar al-Assad's future role.
The Kremlin
refused to support any statement making Assad's removal from power an explicit
goal.
Answering one of his final
questions, the Russian President Vladimir Putin said Western states should
think "very carefully" before arming the Syrian opposition.
He mentioned the recent
fatal stabbing of British soldier Lee Rigby on the streets of London, comparing
"many" of the Syrian rebels to the perpetrators.
"We fulfill legal
contracts" delivering weapons to Assad, Putin said, adding non-government Syrian
groups should not be supplied with arms.
French President Francois
Hollande said it's necessary to give the Syrian opposition all the support it
needs -- humanitarian, material, and political -- whilst weeding out
"terrorist" elements.
He said Putin accepted
participating in discussions about Syria in order to try to find joint
positions, including the need for an enquiry into the use of chemical weapons.
The French leader said the
proposed Geneva conference "could happen within a short period of
time" and it represents a chance for a political transition. It was in Putin’s
interests to make the Geneva peace conference on Syria happen, he said.
Here is what the G8
leaders said on Syria in their final
statement:
Foreign Policy
82. We are determined to work together to stop the bloodshed and loss of
life in Syria and to support the Syrian people to establish peace and stability
through political means. We are gravely concerned at the appalling human
tragedy that the UN estimates has cost the lives of over 93,000 people and led
to 4.2 million internally displaced persons and 1.6 million refugees. We
acknowledge the vital humanitarian role played by neighboring countries hosting
Syrian refugees, above all Lebanon and Jordan, in dealing with the significant
economic and security pressures they are facing as a result of the conflict and
refugee influx.
83. Given the extraordinary humanitarian need as reflected in the latest
UN appeal for $5.2 billion in 2013, we are resolved to make exceptional contributions
commensurate with the scale of the problem. At this meeting G8 Leaders
confirmed additional contributions of almost $1.5 billion to meet humanitarian
needs in Syria and its neighbors. We recognize that further contributions will
be needed given the scale of the challenge. We urge other countries and organizations
to make similar commitments. We call for aid agencies to be given immediate
access to provide humanitarian assistance to all civilians in need, in
accordance with humanitarian principles and international law, particularly in
the worst affected areas such as Qusayr.
84. We remain committed to achieving a political solution to the crisis
based on a vision for a united, inclusive and democratic Syria. We strongly endorse the decision to hold
as soon as possible the Geneva Conference on Syria to implement fully the
Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012, which sets out a number of key steps beginning with agreement on a
transitional governing body with full executive powers, formed by mutual consent.
As the Geneva Communiqué says, the public services must be preserved or
restored. This includes the military forces and security services. However all
governmental institutions and state offices must perform according to
professional and human rights standards, operating under a top leadership that
inspires public confidence, under the control of the transitional governing
body.
85. Both sides at the Conference must engage seriously and
constructively. They should be fully representative of the Syrian people and
committed to the implementation of the Geneva Communiqué and to the achievement
of stability and reconciliation. We will engage actively with the parties in
order to achieve successful outcomes.
86. We are deeply concerned by the growing threat from terrorism and
extremism in Syria, and also by the increasingly sectarian nature of the
conflict. Syria must belong to all
Syrians, including its minorities and all religious groups. We call on the Syrian
authorities and opposition at the Geneva Conference jointly to commit to
destroying and expelling from Syria all organizations and individuals
affiliated to Al Qaeda, and any other non-state actors linked to
terrorism. We will support UN
planning for Syria’s transition, recovery, and reconstruction needs, in
particular by maintaining continuity of state institutions during transition
and helping to ensure that the security forces are effective, accountable and
able to deal with the threat of terrorism and extremism.
87. We condemn any use of chemical weapons in Syria and call on all
parties to the conflict to allow access to the UN investigating team mandated
by the UN Secretary-General, and drawing on the expertise of the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and World Health Organization
(WHO), in order to conduct an objective investigation into reports of use of
chemical weapons. The UN team should make their report and deliver it to the UN
Security Council for their assessment. We are determined that those who may be
found responsible for the use of chemical weapons will be held
accountable. We emphasize the need
for the secure and safe storage of all chemical weapons in Syria, pending their
destruction under international verification. We also condemn in the strongest
possible terms all human rights violations and abuses in Syria, committed by
anyone, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians. We call on all sides to
respect international humanitarian and human rights laws, noting the particular
responsibility of the Syrian authorities in this regard.
(…)
