Putin and Cameron to meet over Syria

LONDON

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and British Prime Minister Cameron will meet in Downing Street to discuss the ongoing Syria civil war. REUTERS photo

Russian President Vladimir Putin will fly to Britain a day before next week’s G-8 summit for talks with David Cameron on the conflict in Syria, the British prime minister announced June 12.

The two leaders will meet at Cameron’s Downing Street office on June 16, before heading to Northern Ireland for the summit of Group of Eight nations on June 17-18.

“We should use the G-8 to try and bring pressure on all sides, to bring about what we all want in this House, which is a peace conference, a peace process and a move towards a transitional government in Syria,” Cameron told the House of Commons. “I’m delighted to tell the House that President Putin will be coming in advance of the G-8 for meetings in Downing Street on June 16, when we can discuss this.”

During Cameron’s weekly question-and-answer session in the Commons, the opposition Labour leader accused him of neglecting efforts for peace in favor of pushing the EU to drop its embargo on providing weapons to the Syrian rebels.

The prime minister rejected this, while insisting that Britain had made no plans yet to arm the uprising.

“We all want to see a peace conference. The question is how we are most likely to put pressure on the
parties to attend that peace conference,” Cameron said.