Putin not planning separate meeting with UN/LAS Special Envoy within G20

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planning to have a separate meeting with U.N./LAS Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi within the G20 summit in St Petersburg, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Itar-Tass. “No separate meeting is being planned, but Brahimi will attend other events at the summit,” Peskov said. Earlier it was reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov planned to meet his G20 colleagues on Friday, September 6, and U.N./LAS Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is invited to take part in the meeting. “Brahimi will take part in the G20 summit. He is member of the U.N. delegation led by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,” the Russian minister said. “Tomorrow I’ll hold a working breakfast with the G20 foreign minister and Brahimi is invited to take part in it,” he said. On Wednesday, September 4, Lavrov said in a telephone conversation with Brahimi that it was unacceptable to use force against Syria by-passing the U.N. Security Council. “The use of force is a gross violation of international law,” he said.