— Russian leader told to back Assad deal... or else
— Cameron's 5-point plan to oust Syrian tyrant
Making the point ... PM with Russia's Putin
Corbis
Published: 12 hrs ago
LEADERS of the world’s richest nations last night told Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree a deal on Syria — or face becoming a pariah himself.
David Cameron delivered the ultimatum as the G8 leaders sat down for a gourmet dinner at their summit in Northern Ireland.Mr Cameron — who raised eyebrows by greeting leaders in rolled-up shirt sleeves — wants Mr Putin to agree a five-point plan to oust Syria tyrant Bashar al-Assad.
The PM made it clear to the defiant Russian that if he refused, the others would press on without him — as a “G7”.
The divisive move, that could come today, would be a major international embarrassment for Russia.
And it would deepen the Syrian stand-off between the Reds and the West — dubbed the “new Cold War”.
A No10 source said last night: “It is a clarifying moment. What message does the G8 want to send to the Assad regime together?”
A senior British official added: “There’s a need for the international community to make a statement. There’s a decision for Mr Putin to make.”
Sun ... cartoon
But it emerged last night that there were signs Putin was softening his defiant stand. Talks went “well” at the leaders’ dinner, sources revealed — suggesting that the Russians might be ready to sign up to fresh Syria peace talks.
That would spell the end of Assad, in what would be a dramatic development.
Under the PM’s proposed blueprint, the G8 would agree five key points to:
ESTABLISH access to deliver humanitarian aid for the war’s innocent victims;
PURSUE and eliminate extremist fighters from al-Qaeda;
BLAST the use of chemical weapons;
BRING stability to the shattered Middle East country, and ORGANISE a democratic way to appoint Assad’s successor.
Mr Cameron kicked off the 39th Summit of the G8 by welcoming leaders including US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a golf resort near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
Others round the table include France’s Francois Hollande, Italian PM Enrico Letta, and Canada’s Stephen Harper — plus EU President Herman van Rompuy and EU Commission boss Jose Manuel Barroso.
Photos showed Mr Cameron with a pot belly which aides blamed on his having to give up jogging because of a bad knee.
A ring of steel has been thrown around Lough Erne. Armed police guarded every bridge in the 90-minute trip from Belfast’s two airports. Anti-terror drones flew over the site, amid fears of a Real IRA attack.
Anti-capitalist protests are also expected, but last night police had made only two arrests. In a bid to defuse the tense atmosphere, the leaders were treated to a three-course feast of Kilkeel Crab, roast fillet of Kettlye beef and an apple crumble with Bushmills whiskey custard.
The raging international row over whether the US, Britain and France should arm Syrian rebels fighting Assad also deepened yesterday. Moderate rebel fighters will be “exterminated” if the West does NOT arm them, William Hague warned.
The Foreign Secretary said staying out of the conflict would strengthen al-Qaeda’s hand — who also oppose the regime. But London Mayor Boris Johnson said it would be “pressing weapons in the hands of maniacs”.
A ComRes poll for ITV News last night revealed just 17 per cent of Brits want the Government to hand over weapons to rebels and 53 per cent oppose the move.
Mr Cameron will today try to persuade G8 leaders to sign up to a new deal to ban terrorist kidnap ransoms which have totalled £50million in the past three years.
The US and Canada share Britain’s no-ransom rule. But it is feared Italy, Russia, France and Germany secretly pay up. In January, fanatics captured 800 foreign workers in Algeria and killed 39.
THE BBC faced more criticism for wasting taxpayers’ cash yesterday when it emerged 45 out of the 150 British journalists covering the G8 work for them.
