Putin on Syria: No state can decide another's government (WHY ARE YOU SUPPORTING ASSAD THEN MR PUTIN?)

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s G20 statements about Syria's future seem to have made some world leaders rush to false conclusions. David Cameron claimed that Putin explicitly “does not want Assad remaining in charge in Syria.”

­British Prime Minister David Cameron has claimed that during the G20 summit, President Putin shifted his position and now wants President Bashar al-Assad out of power in Syria.

"There remain differences over sequencing and the shape of how the transition takes place, but it is welcome that President Putin has been explicit that he does not want Assad remaining in charge in Syria," Cameron told reporters at a news conference in the wake of the G20 summit in Mexico's Los Cabos.

"What we need next is an agreement on a transitional leadership which can move Syria to a democratic future that protects the rights of all its communities," Cameron added.

Cameron’s statement was refuted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as “not corresponding to reality.”

During his speech, Putin clearly stated that no nation has a right to decide for another on “who should be brought to power and who should be ousted.”

Reiterating Russia’s firm position on Syria, Putin said that "it is important that after a regime change, if it happens, and it must happen only by constitutional means, peace comes to the country and bloodshed stops."

While many of the Syrian people indeed would like President Assad to go, "this is not the whole Syrian people," Putin said. All conflicting parties in Syria should cease violence and start negotiations “to agree in advance on how they will live together in a single country,” Putin added.

On Monday, on the sidelines of the summit, Putin had a very long meeting with US President Barack Obama. While the leaders did not come out with any groundbreaking statements, after two hours behind closed doors they managed to outline some common ground on the Syrian issue.

The presidents stated that they had agreed that they need to see a “cessation of the violence,” in Syria and that a “political process has to be created to prevent civil war.” There was no mention of any tougher sanctions on Syria or a reiteration of demands that Assad should step down at that point.

However, on Tuesday, the two states have divided in opinion once again. Speaking at the summit, Obama clearly ruled out any possibility of Assad staying in power in Syria, as he has “lost all legitimacy” in Washington's view. Obama confirmed that despite the intensive talks, neither Russia nor China have agreed to any plan that includes the removal of Assad from power.

“It’s my personal belief, and I’ve shared this with them, is that I don’t see a scenario in which Assad stays and violence is reduced,” he said. “But I do think they recognize the grave dangers of all-out civil war."

PM Cameron accuses Argentina of colonialism and protectionism ahead of G20

British Prime Minister David Cameron has fired a broadside at Argentina ahead of the opening of the G20 summit in Mexico, accusing the country of colonialism over the Falklands and protectionism in world trade.

    

The message to Argentina is very clear, listen to what the people of the Falkland Islands want, said Cameron.

The PM said he would use the opportunity presented by the G20 summit to tell Argentine president Cristina Fernandez to her face that she should listen to the people of the Falklands when they say they want to remain British.

He also singled out Argentina for criticism for protectionist trade measures which he identified as one of the five key threats to the world economy.

Relations between Britain and Argentina are in the deep freeze after Buenos Aires tried to use the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict to revive its sovereignty claim over the Malvinas.

In a TV interview recorded ahead of the opening session of the G20 summit at which he expects to encounter the Argentine leader, PM Cameron said: “The Falkland Islanders have decided to have a referendum. They are going to ask a very simple question of whether they want to continue with the status quo or whether they want to change.

”The message to Argentina is very clear - listen to what the people of the Falkland Islands want. We should all believe in this day and age in self-determination, not colonialism.“

Asked if he would pass this message directly to Cristina Fernandez, PM Cameron said: ”Absolutely.”

Cameron is expected to exchange a few words with the Argentine president as the G20 leaders gather for the opening session, but there will be no formal bilateral talks between the UK and Argentina, according to Foreign Office sources.

Britain has rejected calls from Argentina, made by the Argentine president to the UN decolonisation committee last week, for direct talks to discuss the future of the Falklands.

Cameron has said that the UK position is that as long as the Falkland Islanders prefer to remain British and wish no sovereignty talks with Argentina, London will support that position. If Islanders with to establish a dialogue on the issue with Argentina, UK will equally support them.

However the UK and the Falklands are willing to discuss with Argentina issues of common interest such as fisheries, oil and communications.

In a speech to a business audience in summit venue Los Cabos, Mexico, PM Cameron said that G20 countries should be setting an example to the rest of the world by avoiding protectionism, but said Argentina had failed to do so. He cited the case of the nationalisation earlier this year of oil company YPF, which is largely owned by Spanish firm Repsol.

Brazil/Argentina agree G20 common position, but will wait to listen to Germany

Brazil and Argentina agreed on Monday “to oppose any financial adjustment plan” and sponsor development and growth policies to face the world crisis, in the framework of the two-day G20 summit taking place in Mexico.

The announcement followed a 50 minutes meeting of President Cristina Fernandez with her Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff in Los Cabos, the Mexican resort hosting the G20 summit. Both heads of state met at the Secret Marquis hotel where the Brazilian president is staying, and were joined by their closest aides.

Following the meeting Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman acting as spokesperson said that “Argentina and Brazil share several positions when it comes to policies that favour development and growth in order to face the world economic crisis, while at the same time opposing financial adjustment plans”.

The Argentine minister added that both countries also agreed on “waiting and listening to what European countries – Germany in particular – will say during the G20 Summit.”

President Cristina Fernández arrived in Mexico on Sunday evening and her agenda was largely limited to attending a dinner hosted by Mexican President Felipe Calderón for G20 leaders and multilateral organizations’ representatives. Monday’s agenda also scheduled meetings with Russia's Vladimir Putin and France's Francoise Hollande.

The subject of Monday’s G20 first session was: “Global economy in a framework for vigorous, sustained and balanced growth” and on Tuesday: “Strengthening the international financial architecture and promoting financial inclusion”, and “Trade, job creation and growth”.

On Tuesday Argentina is scheduled to present initiatives relative to infrastructure as the engine of world growth in the framework of a discussion panel on “Development: green growth, infrastructure and good security”.

The Argentine leader also met with business people, mostly the Argentine delegation that participated at the B-20 meeting and discussed some of the conclusions on the global crisis that will be presented to the G20. Likewise she met with union leaders from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, and Canada and from the OECD to consider the creation of jobs and decent work conditions.

“The eyes of the world are on us” said Mexican President Felipe Calderón on the opening of the summit. “As leaders of G20, we have a great responsibility” because the world economy is facing serious challenges: “some areas are in recession, others stalled and others slowing down”.

“I trust that in this G20 we can define an Action Plan with long term vision, a truly integral plan for the sustained human development we all want” as well as “help to recover growth, create jobs and equal opportunity conditions, fairness and with justice”, added the Mexican leader.

He also underlined solidarity with the governments and peoples of Europe, “we have trust in you, we know of your great efforts, and building from those efforts and partly through our deliberations a stronger, more integrated, more united and more responsible Europe will emerge”.

The event will be closed Tuesday evening with a press conference from President Calderon and the release of the G20 Declaration followed by a presentation from President Vladimir Putin, since Russia will be hosting the next summit September 2013 in Saint Petersburg.

The Group of 20 was created in 1999 to bring together financial policymaking from traditional economic powers with the fast-growing developing economies such as China and Brazil. Its 20 members house 90% of the world economy, 80% of its trade and two-thirds of its population.

Latin America is represented by Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. The rest of the countries are Germany, Canada, US, France, India, Italy, Japan, UK, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Korea, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Turkey and the EU.