By The Global Journal | April 11, 2012 - 14:00 GMT 
G8 foreign ministers met today (11 April) for half-yearly talks in Washington against the backdrop of the continuing Syrian crisis and international unease over new nuclear threats from North Korea.
US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and her French counterpart, Alain Juppé, each indicated ahead of the meeting their intention to raise the proposed Syrian ceasefire plan, including addressing divergent views from Moscow about its implementation with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov. While the plan — devised by UN-Arab league Special Envoy, Kofi Annan — has been accepted by all parties, Russia has proven reluctant to condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the context of an official UN Security Council resolution. Juppé emphasized that the stakes of such discussions were high, and called upon the Security Council to “draw all… conclusions from this situation and consider what new measures are necessary to put an end to the violence and start a political dialogue”.
Both Clinton and Japanese Foreign Minister, Koichiro Gemba, also used press conferences ahead of the talks to draw further attention to the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran. Responding to Pyongyang’s planned rocket launch in particular, Gemba suggested that it was “necessary for [the G8] to issue a very strong message”. Of the G8 members, Japan, the US and Russia have all participated in six-party talks focused on curbing North Korea’s nuclear program.
(With AFP)
(Photo © DR)
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