Syria dares Obama, says he is ‘confused'

DAMASCUS (AFP) – Obama is ‘hesitant and confused’: Syrian deputy FM

Meanwhile the decision by President Barack Obama to take a step back from an imminent strike on Syria puts all eyes on Vladimir Putin’s G20 summit where the Russian and US leaders will push for global support of their divergent policies.

The Kremlin has said that Syria is not on the official agenda of the summit to be hosted by Russia in Saint Petersburg on Thursday and Friday. But with both Moscow and Washington keen to use it as a platform to discuss a potential US-led strike against the Syrian regime, the issue is quickly becoming the elephant in the room.

The two-day meeting, to be attended by the Group of 20 heads of state or government, will also likely be the last chance for a face-to-face debate over possible military intervention before it is voted on in the US Congress, due to come back from recess on September 9.