World leaders yesterday sought to join forces to bring peace to Syria and destroy the Islamic State group’s network, hoping to curb the extremist menace after the Paris attacks.
They also vowed to seek a deal to curb climate change at the upcoming UN conference in Paris, according to a draft statement drawn up in tough, all-night talks.
Leaders of the G20 top economies meeting in Turkey were due to describe the Paris gun and bombing strikes as an “unacceptable affront to all humanity,” according to a draft statement seen by reporters.
Photo: AFP
Concretely, they are to share intelligence to crack down on the movement of foreign fighters across borders, said the communique, which was subject to final approval by the leaders.
Western leaders sought in particular to narrow important differences with Russian President Vladimir Putin on bringing peace to Syria and fighting Islamic State militants.
The urgent need to coordinate action on Syria after the Paris attacks that killed 129 people and were claimed by the Islamic State reshaped the agenda.
Photo: EPA
Russia has refused to abandon its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the four-year civil war, which has claimed more than a quarter of a million lives and displaced millions more.
Moscow has embarked on its own bombing campaign that has been welcomed by the regime, but greeted with suspicion in the West.
“We must not let this gap between us be the altar on which this country, Syria, is slaughtered,” British Prime Minister David Cameron told BBC radio before heading into talks with Putin.
Despite disputes with Moscow, there is agreement that Islamic State is as much of a threat to Russia as to Europe, Cameron said.
“We are prepared to make compromises,” he added.
Turkish presidential sources said terrorism and a vast refugee crisis were discussed at Sunday’s official dinner, with host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasizing the need for greater intelligence sharing.
Following his talks with Cameron, Putin said other disputes should be put aside to “unite our efforts in our fight against this evil, this terrorism.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for “intensive cooperation” between intelligence agencies as well as the military.
US President Barack Obama on Sunday held one of his most intimate discussions yet with Putin, both men seen hunched over a coffee table in animated discussion during a break in the summit.
US officials said the two leaders agreed on the need for a political transition that would be set up by a ceasefire and UN-brokered talks. The Kremlin said the two sides shared the same goal of fighting Islamic State, but differed on tactics.
In the discussion on climate talks, negotiators haggled into the early hours yesterday as Saudi Arabia and India initially refused to include specific goals such as limiting global warming to less than 2oC above pre-industrialized levels, sources said.
French officials bristled at the reluctance of some countries to include its basic objectives in the statement.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique