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David Cameron to meet Vladimir Putin ahead of G8 summit David Cameron to urge Putin to help get movement on Syria
(about 1 hour later)
David Cameron is due to hold talks in London with Russian President Vladimir Putin - expected to focus on the Syria conflict - before the two leaders fly to Northern Ireland for the G8 summit. David Cameron says he will be asking President Vladimir Putin to help get movement on an international deal for peace in Syria, when they meet later.
Differences over Syria have added to the already delicate state of UK-Russian relations. The PM will meet the Russian President for talks in London ahead of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.
Russia is a long-time backer of the regime, while the UK has repeatedly condemned President Bashar al-Assad. He said no decision had been made in the UK to follow the US in arming Syrian rebels, but said there must be pressure on President Assad.
Two years of civil war in Syria has left an estimated 93,000 people dead.
On Friday the US announced it would supply some rebels with direct military aid after seeing evidence of chemical weapons use by the Assad regime. But Russia, a long-time backer of the Assad regime, said it was not convinced.
Mr Cameron told Sky News that everyone wanted to see movement on a peace conference on Syria, leading to a transitional government, but the disagreement was about "how we get there".
'Very dangerous'
Mr Cameron stressed that no decision had been made in the UK to arm the rebels but added it was "right to send a very clear message to Assad that the shouldn't think he can just win this conflict in a military way".
He admitted there were "unscrupulous" and "very dangerous" elements within the Syrian opposition, who he would like to see "driven out of Syria", but if the West did not work with moderate elements who supported a "free" and "pluralistic" system - then only the extreme elements would make any progress.
On whether there would be a vote in Parliament - an issue on which Mr Cameron faces pressure from his own backbenchers - he said: "I never want to stand in the way of Parliament having a say one way or another" but added: "We are not there yet, we have not made that decision".
And he said where the UK could give the greatest assistance to the "official proper Syrian opposition" was in advice, training and technical support.
'Non-lethal'
Earlier his Lib Dem deputy, Nick Clegg, also told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme that no decision had been taken in the UK to arm the Syrian rebels.
"We need to work in concert with our allies but we don't all need to do the identical thing," he said.
"We are providing non-lethal assistance, we have taken no decision to provide lethal assistance.
"We clearly don't think it is the right thing to do now otherwise we would have decided to do it."
Mr Cameron will also meet US President Barack Obama ahead of the summit.Mr Cameron will also meet US President Barack Obama ahead of the summit.
Russia has made it clear it is deeply sceptical about US, British and French claims that the Syrian military has used chemical weapons against the rebels.Russia has made it clear it is deeply sceptical about US, British and French claims that the Syrian military has used chemical weapons against the rebels.
The US said last week this had crossed a "red line" set down by Mr Obama and Washington would now supply weapons to the rebels.
Mr Cameron has insisted that more must be done to help them - but said the UK had taken no decision about arms.
'Bleaker'
Moscow could now go ahead with plans to provide sophisticated new air defences to the Syrian regime.Moscow could now go ahead with plans to provide sophisticated new air defences to the Syrian regime.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus said the two leaders might choose to focus on where they could agree.
This included the need for a political transition in Syria and preparations for an international conference in Geneva to get this process going.
But the chances of such a conference were looking bleaker by the day, said our correspondent.
He added that one of the tests of the G8 gathering would be to see if it could re-establish the hopes of a renewed political path out of Syria's escalating violence.
Britain's former ambassador to Russia, Sir Andrew Wood, told BBC Radio 5 live he did not expect Mr Cameron to achieve a great deal during the meeting but it was still "important for President Putin to hear things he doesn't want to hear".
"I think the most he can get out of it is the hope that the Russian president will at least understand why the British and many of their Western allies think the way they do," he added.
'Same club''Same club'
On the ground in Syria, there have been reports of the fiercest fighting in months in the country's largest city, Aleppo. Britain's former ambassador to Russia, Sir Andrew Wood, told BBC Radio 5 live he did not expect Mr Cameron to achieve a great deal during the meeting but it was still "important for President Putin to hear things he doesn't want to hear".
On Thursday, the UN said that two years of conflict had killed at least 93,000 people.
The G8 summit - a meeting of eight global leaders to address international issues - takes place in Loch Erne, County Fermanagh on Monday and Tuesday.The G8 summit - a meeting of eight global leaders to address international issues - takes place in Loch Erne, County Fermanagh on Monday and Tuesday.
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the US and the UK will be represented.Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the US and the UK will be represented.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, from the opposition People's Freedom Party in Russia, said Mr Putin and Mr Assad belonged to the same "club".Vladimir Kara-Murza, from the opposition People's Freedom Party in Russia, said Mr Putin and Mr Assad belonged to the same "club".
"It's the dwindling club of the world's dictators and his affinity and his self identification is certainly with people like Bashar al-Assad. "It's the dwindling club of the world's dictators, and his affinity and his self-identification is certainly with people like Bashar al-Assad."
"He feels mentally closer to them than he does to democratically elected leaders, so there's nothing surprising in the fact that, when given the choice between siding with the world's democracies and the world's dictators, he chooses the latter."