ANTALYA, Turkey—Pressed for a strong response to the Islamic State’s assault on Paris, the world’s top industrial and developing nations are set to outline their coordinated response to what President Barack Obama has described as an “attack on the civilized world.”
The leaders of the Group of 20 were wrapping up their two-day summit in Turkey Monday against the backdrop of heavy French bombardment of the Islamic State’s stronghold in Syria. The bombings marked a significant escalation of France’s role in the fight against the extremist group.
Numerous meetings about next steps in Syria and the Islamic State (ISIS) campaign were being held on the sidelines of the summit at the Turkish seaside resort of Antalya.
Obama was to huddle with European leaders from France, Britain, Germany and Italy. French President Francois Hollande skipped the summit to stay home and deal with the aftermath of the attacks, but Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius planned to attend the meeting with the U.S. president.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key player in ending the conflict in Syria that created a vacuum for ISIS, met separately with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Putin and Cameron both emphasized the need for joint action against terrorism in the wake of Paris terror attack.
“The latest tragic events in Paris show that we have to unite our efforts in fighting this evil, something we should have done long time ago,” Putin said.
Putin launched an air campaign in Syria a month-and-half ago with ISIS as the top declared target. The U.S. and its allies, however, have accused Moscow of focusing on other rebel groups in a bid to shore up Syria’s leader Bashar Assad, whom the West sees as the main cause of the Syrian conflict and the chief obstacle to peace.
Ahead of the G-20, foreign ministers met in Vienna to discuss a new diplomatic plan to end the Syrian war. The plan appears to be based largely on a Russian proposal that envisions negotiations between Assad’s government and opposition groups starting by Jan. 1.
