| USA TODAY | - |
SHARECONNECT
80 TWEETCOMMENTEMAILMORE. President Obama renewed efforts Thursday to
persuade global allies to back a military strike on Syria over the use
of chemical weapons.
President
Obama renewed efforts Thursday to persuade global allies to back a
military strike on Syria over the use of chemical weapons.
Attending a G-20 summit in Russia otherwise devoted to the global economy, Obama said before a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he looked forward to "an extensive conversation" about Syria.
That includes "our joint recognition that the use of chemical weapons in Syria is not only a tragedy but also a violation of international law that must be addressed," Obama said.
The formal economic agenda at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg includes international tax treaties, banking and global trade.
The White House also said that Obama has spoken with U.S. senators during his three-day trip to Sweden and Russia, seeking domestic support as Congress considers a resolution authorizing force against Bashar Assad's government in Syria.
The president also postponed a trip to California that had been planned for Monday and Tuesday, so that he can lobby lawmakers on what some members of Congress are calling an uphill battle to win approval of the Syria resolution.
Several world leaders — including the G-20 host, Russian President Vladimir Putin — oppose military action in Syria. Putin has challenged the Obama administration's claims that Bashar Assad's government was behind a chemical weapons attack against Syrian rebels Aug. 21.
Lakhdar Brahimi, special envoy of the United Nations and Arab League on Syria, will travel to St. Petersburg to rally efforts to convene a peace conference in Geneva. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said, "A political solution is the only way to end the bloodshed in Syria."
Putin has warned that any military intervention against Assad's regime without the express consent of the United Nations would amount to an act of "aggression." Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, told the Voice of Russia that the Russian president does not plan to meet Brahimi.
Putin said this week he doesn't exclude supporting U.N. action, but it must be proved that the Syrian government used poison gas on its own people.
Obama and his Russian counterpart do not have a formal meeting scheduled during the two-day summit, but it is possible the two leaders could chat at some point. They shook hands and smiled during a G-20 welcoming ceremony early Thursday.
Last
month, Obama canceled a one-on-one summit with Putin after Russia's
decision to grant temporary asylum to National Security Agency leaker
Edward Snowden.
"It's always the case at these summits that leaders end up sitting next to each other; they end up having side conversations," said National Security Council spokesman Ben Rhodes. "So I certainly anticipate the president will have interactions with President Putin even as we don't have a formal meeting scheduled."
China, too, has voiced its disinterest in an attack on Syria. "Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price," Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said at the summit.
Obama does have the backing of some foreign leaders, including those of France, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The president is seeking authorization from the U.S. Congress for military action in Syria designed to degrade the nation's chemical weapons capability.
During a news conference Wednesday in Stockholm, Obama said most nations support a ban on chemical weapons use, and the attack in Syria requires an international response.
"My credibility is not on the line," Obama said. "The international community's credibility is on the line. And America and Congress's credibility is on the line because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important."
Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to authorize President Obama to use limited force against Syria, after adopting amendments from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., designed to urge Obama to "change the military equation on the battlefield."
SYRIA: Senate committee approves Syria attack resolution
Beyond Syria, one key item up for discussion is on a pact on combating tax evasion and tax avoidance.
The United States and several European countries are pushing for an agreement on sharing information to catch tax dodgers that is likely to build on the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. The law, passed last year, requires foreign financial institutions to report to the United States about American account holders.
G-20 members are also taking aim at the kind of profit-shifting loopholes that Vodafone Group used to minimize the tax bill on the $130 billion sale of its stake in Verizon Wireless. Progress on these issues has been helped by a shared interest in shoring up government revenue, said Yves Tiberghien, a professor at the University of British Columbia.
The G-20 leaders will take up a proposal to improve oversight of "shadow banks" — hedge funds and other non-banks that account for a large proportion of lending activity.
G-20 nations — including China, France, Brazil, Canada, Australia, the United States and others — represent two-thirds of the world's population, 85% of its GDP and its leading armies.
Contributing: Associated Press
end quote from:
Attending a G-20 summit in Russia otherwise devoted to the global economy, Obama said before a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he looked forward to "an extensive conversation" about Syria.
That includes "our joint recognition that the use of chemical weapons in Syria is not only a tragedy but also a violation of international law that must be addressed," Obama said.
The formal economic agenda at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg includes international tax treaties, banking and global trade.
The White House also said that Obama has spoken with U.S. senators during his three-day trip to Sweden and Russia, seeking domestic support as Congress considers a resolution authorizing force against Bashar Assad's government in Syria.
The president also postponed a trip to California that had been planned for Monday and Tuesday, so that he can lobby lawmakers on what some members of Congress are calling an uphill battle to win approval of the Syria resolution.
Several world leaders — including the G-20 host, Russian President Vladimir Putin — oppose military action in Syria. Putin has challenged the Obama administration's claims that Bashar Assad's government was behind a chemical weapons attack against Syrian rebels Aug. 21.
Lakhdar Brahimi, special envoy of the United Nations and Arab League on Syria, will travel to St. Petersburg to rally efforts to convene a peace conference in Geneva. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said, "A political solution is the only way to end the bloodshed in Syria."
Putin has warned that any military intervention against Assad's regime without the express consent of the United Nations would amount to an act of "aggression." Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Putin, told the Voice of Russia that the Russian president does not plan to meet Brahimi.
Putin said this week he doesn't exclude supporting U.N. action, but it must be proved that the Syrian government used poison gas on its own people.
Obama and his Russian counterpart do not have a formal meeting scheduled during the two-day summit, but it is possible the two leaders could chat at some point. They shook hands and smiled during a G-20 welcoming ceremony early Thursday.
"It's always the case at these summits that leaders end up sitting next to each other; they end up having side conversations," said National Security Council spokesman Ben Rhodes. "So I certainly anticipate the president will have interactions with President Putin even as we don't have a formal meeting scheduled."
China, too, has voiced its disinterest in an attack on Syria. "Military action would have a negative impact on the global economy, especially on the oil price," Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said at the summit.
Obama does have the backing of some foreign leaders, including those of France, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The president is seeking authorization from the U.S. Congress for military action in Syria designed to degrade the nation's chemical weapons capability.
During a news conference Wednesday in Stockholm, Obama said most nations support a ban on chemical weapons use, and the attack in Syria requires an international response.
"My credibility is not on the line," Obama said. "The international community's credibility is on the line. And America and Congress's credibility is on the line because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important."
Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to authorize President Obama to use limited force against Syria, after adopting amendments from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., designed to urge Obama to "change the military equation on the battlefield."
SYRIA: Senate committee approves Syria attack resolution
Beyond Syria, one key item up for discussion is on a pact on combating tax evasion and tax avoidance.
The United States and several European countries are pushing for an agreement on sharing information to catch tax dodgers that is likely to build on the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. The law, passed last year, requires foreign financial institutions to report to the United States about American account holders.
G-20 members are also taking aim at the kind of profit-shifting loopholes that Vodafone Group used to minimize the tax bill on the $130 billion sale of its stake in Verizon Wireless. Progress on these issues has been helped by a shared interest in shoring up government revenue, said Yves Tiberghien, a professor at the University of British Columbia.
The G-20 leaders will take up a proposal to improve oversight of "shadow banks" — hedge funds and other non-banks that account for a large proportion of lending activity.
G-20 nations — including China, France, Brazil, Canada, Australia, the United States and others — represent two-thirds of the world's population, 85% of its GDP and its leading armies.
Contributing: Associated Press
end quote from:
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