G8 parliament speakers warn against automatic support for invasion of Syria

The parliament speakers of the Group of Eight (G8) most industrialised nations have warned against “automatic support for an invasion of Syria”, State Duma Deputy Chairman Sergei Zheleznyak said. He is leading the Russian delegation to a traditional meeting of the G8 parliament speakers being held in London. “The parliament of Great Britain, which is obliged to rely on the opinion of the people, did not support the government on the military operation in Syria. This indicates [the importance of] active interaction between parliaments and society and respect for people’s opinion when discussing and making critical decisions,” Zheleznyak told ITAR-TASS on Saturday, September 7. He noted that “American representatives are not present at the meeting.” “Having learnt that the Syria issue would be discussed, which was not initially on the agenda and the agreement to hold this discussion was reached only yesterday [September 6], they decided against attending the meeting,” the MP said. “The absence of the American representatives from the Syria discussion among the G8 parliament speakers is yet another confirmation that the United States has no confidence in its position and lacks reliable evidence that could justify its intention to unleash an armed conflict in Syria,” Zheleznyak said. He said the discussion was being moderated by John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons. “Apart from him, there is also a large British delegation here, which includes both senior members of parliament and officials from the British government,” he added.