Syrian conflict to throw shadow over G8 summit

The Syrian conflict is set to dominate the G8 summit in Northern Ireland next week after the US accused the regime of using chemical weapons, while the British hosts are determined to push a crackdown on tax evasion and boost global trade.

Washington dramatically toughened its stance on Syria on Thursday and promised unspecified “military support” to rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.

Britain said it agreed with the US assessment that the regime has used sarin gas and would be seeking talks on a “strong, determined” international response when the leaders meet at the exclusive Lough Erne golf resort from Monday.

The White House statement appeared to be part of international efforts to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, a strong ally of Assad, ahead of two days of talks also featuring US President Barack Obama.

British Prime minister David Cameron will try to set the tone on Syria by meeting Putin for pre-summit talks in London tomorrow, while French President Francois Hollande is also due to meet the Russian leader.

Moscow has dismissed the US data used to back its allegations as “unconvincing” and warned that direct military aid to rebels would hurt peace efforts.

The British prime minister has made trade, tax and transparency his priorities for the meeting of the Group of Eight top industrialised nations.

But progress is uncertain in many key areas.

France is holding up a US-EU free trade pact, while world powers are struggling to arrange a peace conference on Syria and are deeply divided on arming the rebels.

Cameron himself admitted that the biggest prize to be won from the G8 summit - the start of formal negotiations on a free trade agreement between the US and European Union - is “hanging in the balance”.

France wants its cherished audiovisual industries protected from any such deal between the world’s biggest trading blocs. EU nations tried to break the deadlock at a meeting in Luxembourg yesterday.

Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe will be at the summit to defend his big spending and ultra-loose monetary policies, known as “Abenomics”.

Cameron, whose political position at home is increasingly precarious, will be hoping to make progress on sweeping deals to tackle global tax avoidance.

Following criticism of multinationals including Google, Amazon and Starbucks for their tax schemes, Britain also wants transparency on who owns companies, where they earn their cash and where they pay tax.

But the Syrian conflict threatens to overshadow everything else. British officials insist the G8 discussions will focus on getting all parties around the negotiating table in Geneva, possibly in July, and how to get a process of political transition “off the ground”.