Obama, in Europe, still pursuing Syria support

 

China's a firm no. The European Union is skeptical about whether any military action can be effective. Even Pope Francis weighed in, urging leaders gathered here to abandon what he called a ``futile mission.''   

 

Still, Obama was undeterred. As the president pressed his case on the world stage, he was dispatching his UN ambassador, Samantha Power, to a Washington think tank to argue that the global community cannot afford the precedent of letting chemical weapons use go unpunished.   

 

A key status update was to come Friday when Obama, his diplomatic dexterity pushed to the max, will be quizzed by reporters in the waning hours of the Group of 20 economic summit in this Russian port city. Meanwhile, the White House was assuring allies it was seeking diplomatic and political support for a Syria strike _ not necessarily direct military involvement.   

 

A jobs-and-growth agenda awaiting world leaders gathering at the ornate Constantine Palace quickly gave way to intense posturing over Syria _ at least on the surface. The leaders served up Syria as dinner conversation Thursday at the suggestion of the summit's host, Russian President Vladimir Putin.   

 

Syria dominated the nearly three-hour meal, with leaders condemning the use of chemical weapons but reaching no consensus about the proper response, said a French official in St. Petersburg. Many leaders at the dinner remained in doubt about whether Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime was behind the attack, said the official, who was not authorized to be publicly named according to presidential policy.   

 

A fleeting interaction between Obama and Putin became the high-drama moment of the summit, underscoring the labored state of relations between the two leaders who stand on opposing sides of the Syrian conflict. Russia has steadfastly backed Assad _ militarily, economically and diplomatically _ and disputes claims that Assad's regime was behind chemical attacks that the US says killed more than 1,400 Syrians. Other estimates are lower.   

 

In public, at least, the Russian and the American were all smiles Thursday, making small talk in front of news cameras for a few seconds as Obama arrived at the summit. But the welcoming handshake may have been where the pleasantries ended.   

 

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said a US strike would ``drive another nail into the coffin of international law.'' Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Russia was boosting its naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea, moving in warships ``primarily'' for a possible evacuation of Russians from Syria.   

 

On the sidelines of the summit, Obama met Friday morning with Chinese President Xi Jinping, building on discussions the two had in June in California. At the start of the session, Xi touted the ``bountiful results'' yielded by those talks, including closer military-to-military cooperation. Obama said he and the Chinese leader planned to confer on issues ranging from the economy to North Korea's nuclear program.   

 

``Although there will continue to be some significant disagreements and sources of tension, I am confident that they can be managed,'' Obama said.