Camp David, US, May 20 (QNA) - The Group of Eight (G8) leaders called on the Syrian government and all parties in the country to immediately and fully adhere to a six-point peace plan brokered by United Nations-Arab League joint envoy Kofi Annan.

"We remain appalled by the loss of life, humanitarian crisis, and serious and widespread human rights abuses in Syria," the leaders said in a joint statement after the G8 summit concluded at Camp David in the US State of Maryland.

"The Syrian government and all parties must immediately and fully adhere to commitments to implement the six-point plan of UN and Arab League Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan," the statement said.

The leaders called on Syria to immediately cease all violence "so as to enable a Syrian-led, inclusive political transition leading to a democratic, plural political system," according to the statement.

Voicing support for Annan, the leaders welcomed the deployment of the UN monitors in Syria, and urged "all parties, in particular the Syrian government, to fully cooperate with the mission."

"We strongly condemn recent terrorist attacks in Syria," said the statement, adding that the leaders remain "deeply concerned" about the threat caused by the crisis to regional peace and security.

Concerning other issues, the G8 leaders agreed boosting jobs and growth are their top priority and signaled the importance of Greece remaining in the Eurozone at a low-key summit overshadowed by the Eurozone debt crisis.

"As all the leaders here agreed, growth and jobs must be our top priority," US President Barack Obama said at the conclusion of the summit.

"A stable, growing European economy is in everybody's best interest, including America's," he said.

He pointed to the work the countries have done in rescuing the global economy from "freefall" over the past three years and said that Europe would be able to solve its problems.

The leaders of the G8 - Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Russia and the US - also agreed on the importance of growth and jobs, amid "significant headwinds" in the global economy, they said. But they acknowledged disagreements, alluding to ongoing debates about stimulus versus austerity.

"We commit to take all necessary steps to strengthen and reinvigorate our economies and combat financial stresses, recognizing that the right measures are not the same for each of us," they said after spending the entire morning discussing the issue.

Meanwhile, the G8 vowed to assist Afghanistan economically as security for the country is handed over to Afghan troops in coming years and to engage in a new private-public partnership to fight hunger in Africa.

The leaders stopped short however of making firm financial commitments, which will be agreed at a donor conference in Tokyo in July.

The two-day G8 summit kicked off on Friday evening at Camp David, the US presidential retreat in Maryland, with wide- ranging topics on the agenda, including the Eurozone debt crisis, Iran, Syria, global energy and food security.

On Sunday, the discussion about Afghanistan moves to Chicago, where NATO's 28 leaders, plus representatives from about 30 other countries including Pakistan, are to discuss in detail the drawdown of foreign combat troops in 2014.

Britain is to host the 2013 G8 summit. (QNA)



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QNA 0609 GMT 2012/05/20