G20 'divided' on Syria as US envoy Power criticises Russia. 6 September 2013Last updated at 05:13 ET US envoy to the UN, Samantha Power: "Russia continues to hold the Council hostage" World leaders meeting for the final day of the G20 summit in Russia remain divided over military action in Syria. Italian PM Enrico Letta said the splits in opinion were confirmed at Thursday's working dinner in St Petersburg. A spokesman for the Russian presidency said a US military strike on Syria would "drive another nail into the coffin of international law".
At the UN, the US ambassador accused Russia of holding the Security Council hostage by blocking resolutions. Continue reading the main story Analysis Steve Rosenberg BBC News, St Petersburg With the US looking increasingly isolated over Syria, Vladimir Putin will be satisfied with the way the G20 is going. From China to the EU to the Vatican, the message is clear: there can be no military solution to the Syrian conflict.
But Mr Assad has blamed rebels for the attack. 'Divisions confirmed' What is the G20? CNBC: Americans unconvinced about striking Syria, poll shows.
BBC NEWS: US claim on Syria chemical attack 'nonsense' - Putin. CNN: Obama officials try to sway House Democrats on Syria. CNN: Obama in weekly address: Syria won't be another Iraq or Afghanistan. Can Obama Make the Case for an Attack on Syria? - Michael Hirsh. It was perhaps the greatest "Perry Mason moment" in the history of the U.N. Security Council. When U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson challenged his Soviet counterpart, Valerian Zorin, to admit that the USSR had installed offensive missiles in Cuba in 1962, Zorin replied, "I am not in an American courtroom.
" Stevenson swiftly retorted: "'You are in the courtroom of world opinion right now, and you can answer yes or no. " A little over 40 years later, in early 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell had far less success before the same U.N. When it comes to America's credibility, things have pretty much gone downhill from there. Now Obama must put his intel where his mouth is—backing up the uncompromising assertions made by his administration in recent days that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people.
Republicans, meanwhile, are beginning to demand insist that Obama get congressional approval for any strike. Sen. It won't be easy. Obama's recoil on striking Syria draws criticism from both sides. NEW: Arab League condemns attack, blames Syrian governmentKerry says blood and hair samples show "signatures of sarin"The U.N. says its investigation will be "impartial and credible" Syrian opposition: Obama has given false hope to those suffering Should the West intervene in Syria?
Tell us what you think. (CNN) -- The Obama administration pushed forward Sunday on a new path toward military action in Syria, urging Congress to support the president's call. Tests found signatures of sarin gas in blood and hair samples collected from the Damascus site of an alleged chemical weapons attack, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. The samples were collected separately from a United Nations investigation into the August 21 attack and provide further proof that the Syrian regime attacked its own people, Kerry said.
Neely: Obama weakened by Syria decision Arab League wants action on Syria Saudi Arabia backs action in Syria Fareed's Take: Obama's response to Assad. The New York Times: F.B.I. Sharpens Scrutiny of Syrians in U.S. for Signs of Retaliation. ABC News: USS Nimitz Carrier Moving Toward Red Sea, But No Orders for Syria. Obama 'could pause Syria attack plans' 10 September 2013Last updated at 04:46 ET Obama: "I want to make sure that the norm against [the] use of chemical weapons is maintained" US President Barack Obama has said he will put plans for a US military strike against Syria on hold if the country agrees to place its chemical weapons stockpile under international control.
But he said he was sceptical the Syrian government would follow through. As the US Congress debates authorising an attack, Russia on Monday proposed Syria relinquish its chemical weapons. The US accuses Damascus of war crimes including use of chemical weapons, allegations denied by the regime. The US president on Monday gave a series of television interviews aimed at building support among a US Congress and public wary of new military action in the Middle East. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote Damascus would need to identify exactly which and what quantities of chemicals were stored at which location.
End Quote Bridget KendallDiplomatic correspondent, BBC News. President Obama 'sure Syria behind chemical attack' 29 August 2013Last updated at 06:00 ET President Barack Obama: ''I have no interest in any kind of open-ended conflict in Syria'' US President Barack Obama has said he has not yet decided on a plan for retaliatory action against Syria. But he said he had concluded Syrian government forces were behind a recent chemical weapons attack near Damascus. Speaking on US television, Mr Obama said the use of chemical weapons affected US national interests and that sending a "shot across the bows" could have a positive impact on Syria's war. His comments follow a day of behind-the-scenes wrangling at the UN. The UK had been pushing for permanent members of the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution which would have authorised measures to protect civilians in Syria.
But Syrian ally Russia refused to agree to the resolution and the meeting produced no end to the diplomatic stalemate which has long characterised the UN position on Syria. 'Strong signal' 'Consequences' Continue reading the main story. Reuters: A hawkish Kerry emerges as point man in Obama's push to punish Syria. Kerry: Syrian handover of all chemical arms could prevent attack. By Arshad Mohammed and Andrew Osborn LONDON Mon Sep 9, 2013 6:18pm IST LONDON (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid a U.S. military strike by surrendering all his chemical weapons within a week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, but immediately made clear he was not making a serious offer. President Barack Obama is seeking support from Congress for punitive military action against Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack in a civil war that the United Nations says has killed at least 100,000 people. When asked by a reporter in London whether there was anything Assad's government could do or offer to stop a military strike, Kerry answered: "Sure, he could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week - turn it over, all of it without delay and allow the full and total accounting (of it), but he isn't about to do it and it can't be done.
" MSNBC: Kerry courts Europe for support on Syria strike as Obama preps for uphill battle in Congress.