G-20 SUMMIT READY TO HUNT DOWN THE PERPETRATORS OF PARIS ATTACKS

USPA NEWS - The summit that has taken on new urgency after attacks in Paris pushed the fight against Islamic State militants to the top of the agenda. World leaders stood to observe one minute of silence at the G20 Summit in a tribute to the victims of terror attacks in Paris and Ankara..

The summit that has taken on new urgency after attacks in Paris pushed the fight against Islamic State militants to the top of the agenda. World leaders stood to observe one minute of silence at the G20 Summit in a tribute to the victims of terror attacks in Paris.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for 35 minutes off to the sides of the summit, the White House said. The two leaders mentioned the progress in Syria talks in Vienna, including the areas of agreement outlined in the International Syria Support Group's statement of November 14.

World leader´s posed for the traditional family photo before kicking off the session with talks on encouraging inclusive global economic growth and employment and investment strategies.

Others attending include leaders from China, Japan, major European countries, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. In addition to terrorism, the war in Syria and the migrant crisis, the group planned to discuss trade, climate change, financial regulation and changes to the International Monetary Fund.

France´s policy towards the war in Syria has been more forward than any other western country. It was early in calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, still insists he must go, and recently joined airstrikes inside Syria against the Islamic State, unlike the UK, which has not taken that step...France was the first country to join the US-led coalition in Iraq and has provided logistical support to anti-Assad Syrian rebels it considers moderate, including Kurdish fighters. (The Guardian)

France´s retaliation came as Obama held talks with allied leaders and with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin at the summit being held in this Turkish Mediterranean resort city...Obama vowed again on Sunday to help France hunt down the perpetrators of the attacks. Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said Obama agreed with French President François Hollande that the rampage, which killed at least 132 and wounded more than 350, was an 'act of war.' But he and others disputed suggestions from Republicans that Obama, who said in an interview last week that the U.S.-led coalition had contained the Islamic State, has consistently underestimated the adversary. (Washington Post)

CBS News' David Martin Martin reported that United States and French officials will announce on Monday a new intelligence sharing agreement which gives France access to more sensitive U.S. intelligence to be used in the fight against ISIS. Currently, such intelligence is only shared among the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. France will join that group.

In 2013, when Assad was accused of using chemical weapons that killed 1,400 people in the Ghouta area near Damascus, Paris called for military intervention but was isolated after the US president, Barack Obama, refused to act despite the breach of what he had earlier declared was a 'red line'. Opposition by US Congress and the British parliament reflected a deep reluctance for direct military intervention...Conservative politicians in France have attacked Hollande´s policy as unrealistic and inflexible. 'I think the moment has come for us to eat some humble pie and sit down at the negotiating table in Geneva with Bashar al-Assad,“ said the former French prime minister Alain Juppé. 'Maybe we will be able to save some face.' (The Guardian)

'Specifically, President Obama and President Putin agreed on the need for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition, which would be proceeded by U.N.-mediated negotiations between the Syrian opposition and regime as well as a cease-fire,' the White House said. 'As the diplomacy continues, President Obama welcomed efforts by all nations to confront the terrorist group ISIL and noted the importance of Russia's military efforts in Syria focusing on the group.' (USToday)

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