Obama to use G20 for Syria attack justification: Russianlawmaker
( Xinhua) 08:48, September 02, 2013 MOSCOW, Sept. 1 -- U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to bring the Syria issue to aGroup of Twenty (G20) summit to solicit support for military intervention, a Russianlawmaker said Sunday.
"Obama will try to use the G20 summit to justify the attack on Syria. Whatever agenda thesummit may have, Syria will be its focal point," Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the StateDuma's International Affairs Committee, wrote in his Twitter account.
The G20 summit is slated for Sept. 5-6 in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.
Obama said Saturday that he has decided to take military action against Syria but will firstseek authorization from Congress.
He noted the operation will not be "an open-ended intervention" and will not involve"boots on the ground."
Earlier on Sunday, Pushkov said Obama was forced to put off the military action due toBritain's refusal to do so and a split in public opinion.
"I think that Obama now wants to win guaranteed national support at the level oflegislative power," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday urged Obama not to initiate armedintervention in Syria, warning such attempts could not resolve any problem.
Meanwhile, he questioned the U.S. investigation result over alleged chemical weapons useby Syrian government, calling it " utter nonsense."
According to the Russian leader, the G20 summit will be a good forum for discussions overSyria.
Britain dropped out of a possible coalition with the United States and France on Thursdayas its parliament vetoed against a government action plan, dealing a severe blow to theObama administration's momentum on Syria.
An NBC News opinion poll released Friday show 50 percent of American voters opposedmilitary intervention in Syria.
（Editor：LiangJun、Yao Chun）
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