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David Cameron vows to push for Syria peace Syria vote: Clarke suggests US wanted 'quick' UK decision
(about 5 hours later)
Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to use all of Britain's diplomatic "muscle" to bring both sides together for Syria peace talks. The White House wanted the UK to hold a "quick vote" on Syria amid the clamour for an international response to the use of chemical weapons, a Cabinet minister has suggested.
Mr Cameron told MPs the world was letting the Syrian people down and he regretted last week's vote on military action, which the government lost. Ken Clarke told Channel 4 News "the Americans wanted us to make this vote very quickly" but the "trauma" of Iraq led to defeat for the call for action.
He again ruled out British involvement in military strikes. Earlier, David Cameron vowed to remain engaged diplomatically in the crisis.
But he warned that President Assad needed to be put under real pressure from the international community. But the BBC's Nick Robinson said the UK may find itself sidelined at the G20.
Speaking during exchanges with Labour leader Ed Miliband at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron said he respected the outcome of last week's vote effectively ruling out UK involvement in any military response to the chemical weapons attack in Damascus. The crisis in Syria will dominate the summit of world leaders starting in St Petersburg on Thursday, with US President Obama and French counterpart Francois Hollande pressing for a united stance on the need for limited military strikes against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
He reiterated that he "won't be bringing back plans for British participation in military action" in the future. But having ruled out any UK involvement, Mr Cameron could find himself peripheral to discussions about military preparations, our political editor said.
'Rush to war''Rush to war'
Mr Cameron said: "I agree with you that we must use everything we have in our power - our diplomatic networks, our influence with other countries, our membership of all the key bodies, the G8, the G20, the UN, the EU, Nato - we must use all that influence to bring to bear. Speaking at prime minister's questions, Mr Cameron said he regretted last week's vote on military action, which the government lost, but vowed to use all of Britain's diplomatic "muscle" to try and bring both sides together for Syria peace talks.
"My only regret of last week is that I don't think it was necessary to divide the House on a vote that would have led to a vote but he (Mr Miliband) took the decision that it was." He reiterated that he "won't be bringing back plans for British participation in military action" in the future.
In his Commons exchanges with Labour leader Ed Miliband, Mr Cameron said he agreed that "we must use everything we have in our power - our diplomatic networks, our influence with other countries, our membership of all the key bodies, the G8, the G20, the UN, the EU, Nato - we must use all that influence to bring to bear".
Mr Miliband said Labour had opposed the government's strategy on Syria because it was concerned "about preventing a rush to war" and not because it believed Britain should "shirk its responsibility" to uphold international law.Mr Miliband said Labour had opposed the government's strategy on Syria because it was concerned "about preventing a rush to war" and not because it believed Britain should "shirk its responsibility" to uphold international law.
The Labour leader said there was public support "for Britain taking every diplomatic, humanitarian effort to help the Syrian people". The Labour leader said there was public support "for Britain taking every diplomatic, humanitarian effort to help the Syrian people", including pressing for peace talks involving the US and countries such as Russia and Iran which support of President Assad.
"Now there are large barriers, as we have found out over the last year or more, to the Geneva II peace talks actually happening. Mr Cameron said President Assad would not consider peace talks unless he came under sustained pressure at home and abroad.
"Can I ask you whether there isn't a case for immediate talks between those countries backing the rebels and those countries the regime? Those talks happened during the civil war in Lebanon and would at least form a basis for discussion." 'Iraq trauma'
In response, Mr Cameron said President Assad would not consider peace talks unless he came under sustained pressure at home and abroad. Mr Clarke, who missed last week's crucial vote for family reasons, suggested that ministers were "amazed" by Labour's ultimate decision not to back the government.
"I agree with you that Britain should use all of its diplomatic muscle to discuss with those countries that have backed the regime and to join with those countries who have backed the rebels and the opposition to try and bring those talks about," he added. "We did not get a majority because of the trauma of the Iraq War," the minister without portfolio, who attends Cabinet, said. "The Americans wanted us to make this vote very quickly, We actually said we could have another vote later before action if people wanted."
"But people were so scarred by the experience of Iraq we did not manage to get across to enough of our people that we were not repeating the gross error of Iraq, and then Ed Miliband pulled most of the Labour Party out."
The prime minister has suggested he recalled Parliament to give MPs the opportunity to discuss the crisis at the earliest opportunity - but some MPs believe the move was premature and they were asked to vote before the full intelligence picture was clear.
Addressing a meeting of Conservative backbenchers on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary William Hague said "lessons would be learnt" from the government's inability to persuade more than 30 of its MPs to back its stance.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has denied media reports that France has sent two spy planes to the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, which is less than 200 miles (320km) from Syria.Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has denied media reports that France has sent two spy planes to the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, which is less than 200 miles (320km) from Syria.
On Tuesday, the prime minister's official spokesman said the UK had not received any requests from allies for the use of bases "and nor are we expecting any".On Tuesday, the prime minister's official spokesman said the UK had not received any requests from allies for the use of bases "and nor are we expecting any".