G8 leaders 'close' to agreement on Syria

Leaders at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland are said to be close to signing a joint statement on Syria, despite differences on the raging conflict.

Russia and the US are backing opposite sides, but officials say the statement could be agreed later in the day.

This could include the proposed peace conference in Geneva, and more access for deliveries of humanitarian aid.

'Not ambitious':

Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the BBC that Moscow would sign up to the statement on Syria later in the day.

But he stressed the Kremlin wanted each of the Syrian sides in the talks to select not only their own delegations but the future terms of any transitional government.

Mr Ryabkov sidestepped the question of whether this could leave open a role for President Bashar al-Assad in the future, reports the BBC's Bridget Kendall from the Enniskillen summit.

To try to get as much consensus as possible on Syria, UK Prime Minister David Cameron - who is hosting the summit - held a working dinner on Monday night.

The leaders were alone, with no officials present, allowing them to express their views frankly.

'Ransom deal':

The White House announced last week that it would provide military aid to the Syrian rebels. Russia meanwhile supplies weapons to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Presidents Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin met for an hour of bilateral talks on Monday, and at a sombre press conference afterwards it was clear they had had a difficult exchange.

Both men acknowledged their differences but said they shared a common desire to stop the bloodshed.

The meeting between Presidents Obama and Putin appeared tense at times

"Of course, our opinions don't coincide. But all of us want to stop the violence and we have agreed to push the parties to the negotiating table," Mr Putin told reporters.

His interview coincided with a White House announcement that the US would provide a further $300m (£190m) of humanitarian aid for Syrians - split between Syria itself, where more than 4.25 million people have been displaced, and neighbouring countries dealing with the 1.6 million refugees.

In a separate development, Mr Cameron says a commitment has been secured from the G8 governments not to pay ransom to kidnappers.

This refusal has long been UK policy, but privately British officials have often expressed their frustration at alleged ransom payments being made to secure the release of French, Italian and other European hostages seized in the Sahara and elsewhere, reports the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner.

He adds that since those governments have never publicly owned up to paying ransoms, this G8 agreement may be easier to sign than to enforce.