G8 calls for Syria peace conference as soon as possible
June 18, 2013 21:47
G8 leaders today 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 G8, including President Bashar al-Assad's key ally Russia, said it was deeply concerned by the "growing threat" from terrorism and extremism in Syria.