World leaders stand divided on Syria

Putin blasts idea of attack as US strongly condemns Security Council

World leaders at the G20 summit on Friday failed to bridge their bitter divisions over US plans for military action against the Syrian government, as Washington slammed Moscow for holding the UN Security Council "hostage" over the crisis.

Despite not being on the original agenda of the summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin outside St. Petersburg, the leaders discussed the Syria crisis into the early hours of the morning over dinner.

Putin was one of the most implacable critics of military intervention against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over an alleged chemical weapons attack on Aug 21, saying such a move without UN blessing would be an aggression.

There was no breakthrough at the dinner as leaders, including US President Barack Obama, presented their positions on the Syria crisis, participants said.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian government, portrayed the "camp of supporters of a strike on Syria" as divided and said, "It is impossible to say that very many states support the idea of a military operation."

"Some states were defending the view that rushed measures should be taken, overlooking legitimate international institutions. Other states appealed not to devalue international law and not to forget that only the UN Security Council has the right to decide on using force," he added.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also warned on Friday that military strikes could spark further sectarian violence in the country, which he said is suffering from a humanitarian crisis "unprecedented" in recent history.

"I must warn that ill-considered military action could cause serious and tragic consequences, and with an increased threat of further sectarian violence," Ban said.

Obama blames forces loyal to Assad for the alleged poison gas attack in the Damascus suburbs that killed up to 1,400 people. Moscow says Obama has not proven that claim and that rebel forces may have carried it out.

In New York, US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power left no doubt that Washington had given up trying to work with the UN Security Council over the attack.

She said there was "no viable path forward in this Security Council" and accused Russia of holding it hostage. Moscow has signaled it would veto any resolution on the use of force unless Washington produced stronger proof.

Obama has asked the US Congress to approve military action and France has said it is ready to support US intervention.

AFP-Xinhua-Reuters