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• published: 2013-09-06
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Watch Obama Press Conference Part 2: http://youtu.be/kY1csYJDTac US President Barack Obama is using his final day at the G20 summit to continue pushing for foreign support for a US military strike on Syria. British sources say the leaders of France, Turkey, Canada and the UK gave Mr Obama strong backing. But a Russian spokesman said a US strike would drive a "nail into the coffin of international law". The head of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, has also denounced talk of military action, calling it "ill-considered". Continue reading the main story Analysis image of Steve Rosenberg Steve Rosenberg BBC News, Moscow With the US looking increasingly isolated over Syria, Vladimir Putin will be satisfied with the way the G20 is going. He has made no secret of his opposition to US military intervention. From what world leaders have said over the last 24 hours, he will assume Moscow's message has been getting through. From China to the EU to the Vatican, the message is clear: there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict. Curiously, President Putin's spokesman has suggested the G20 is "split down the middle" over Syria. He said some countries were demanding "hasty action", while others stressed the importance of the UN Security Council. Yet opponents of urgent military action appear to far outnumber supporters at the summit. Obama's tactics to convince Congress Q&A;: Threatened strike on Syria Chemical attacks: What we know Mr Ban said such attacks - responding to the apparent use of chemical weapons in Syria - could lead to more sectarian violence. The UN says it needs another $3.3bn (£2bn) to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis up to the end of this year. World Bank president Jim Yong Kim told the BBC that the refugee situation was "disastrous", and required "all hands on board". "As a medical doctor, I've seen the pictures; I've seen the medical data. It really is appalling," he said. Deep divisions Mr Obama discussed the deepening crisis in Syria with other G20 delegates at a lengthy working dinner on Thursday night - and it was there, correspondents say, that their differences in opinion became obvious. The BBC's Bridget Kendall, who is at the St Petersburg summit, says that on the final day of their talks these divisions are even more entrenched. The US government accuses Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces of killing 1,429 people in a poison-gas attack in the suburbs of Damascus on 21 August. But Mr Assad has blamed rebels for the attack - and the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, says it still is not clear which side used the weapons. Continue reading the main story What is the G20? Formed in 1999, the "group of 20" comprises the 19 leading national economies, plus the EU The 2008 financial crisis and the rapid rise of China, India and Brazil has led the G20 to replace the G8 as principal global economic forum Leaders generally meet annually, with several other lower-level meetings each year While the UK, Canada and Turkey all support Mr Obama's call for action, the only leaders at the G20 meeting to commit to force in Syria are the US and France. Correspondents in St Petersburg say opponents of US military intervention appear to far outnumber supporters within the G20. China and Russia, which have refused to agree to a Security Council resolution against Syria, insist any action without the UN would be illegal. Joint UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi also said no state had the the right to take action without the approval of the Security Council. Also on Friday, the US embassy in Lebanon said that it would be evacuating its non-essential staff. The move was prompted by "threats to US mission facilities and personnel," a statement said. The US Consulate General in the Turkish city of Adana is also withdrawing non-essential staff. Aid for Syria Jeremy Bowen spoke to Syrians in Damascus about what they think of the divisions at the G20 The UN is appealing for more aid for people in Syria, and also for the estimated two million Syrians who have fled their country. The UN humanitarian chief, Valerie Amos, told the BBC that donor countries should "look again" at their contributions and be "as generous as they can". UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Friday that the UK would give an additional £52m ($80m) in aid for Syria - much of which will go towards medical training and equipment to help civilians targeted by chemical attacks. Some analysts say Mr Cameron has been sidelined at the summit because the UK parliament has already voted against military strikes. A senior Russian aide reportedly dismissed Britain as "just a small island: no-one pays any attention to them" - comments later denied by Mr Putin's chief spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "g20 summit 2013" "g20 summit" "vladimir putin press conference" "obama putin" "putin obama" "obama putin g20 summit" "putin obama g20 summit" "g20 summit moscow" "syria war" "syria war 2013" "g20 moscow" "barack obama" "putin"