G8 calls for Syria peace conference as soon as possible

G8 leaders on Tuesday, June 18, strongly endorsed calls for a peace conference to be held in Geneva on the Syria conflict “as soon as possible.” At the end of a summit in Northern Ireland, the leaders also called for an agreement on a Syrian transitional government “formed by mutual consent”, and said the military and security services “must be preserved and restored” in a future set-up. The world powers called on the Syrian regime and the opposition to “commit to destroying and expelling from Syria all organizations and individuals affiliated to Al-Qaeda, and any other non-state actors linked to terrorism.” Earlier, Russian president Vladimir Putin met with British prime minister David Cameron to talk about Syria. Both leaders said that while they agree on the need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, they disagreed on how to deal with president Assad.

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