British Prime Minister David Cameron will discuss how to strengthen the Syrian opposition both operationally and politically when he holds talks with US President Barack Obama on Monday, his spokesman said.
Cameron, who is starting a three-day trip to the United States, will build on progress he made during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday on the Syrian conflict, Downing Street said.
The spokesman said ending the “bloody and brutal” war in Syria was “top of the agenda” for the Cameron-Obama talks, along with the prime minister’s plans for next month’s G8 summit in Northern Ireland.
“The prime minister and President Obama will discuss how to find a political solution in Syria that will bring the 27-month conflict to end, building on the PM’s discussions with President Putin from Friday,” the spokesman told reporters in London.
“The prime minister is keen to discuss with President Obama how the UK and America can together help to establish a stronger and more credible opposition both politically and operationally inside Syria,” he said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will also be present at Monday’s talks at the White House, the spokesman said.
Kerry and Cameron were both in Russia last week to seek a change of heart from Putin, one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s staunchest allies.
Cameron’s talks in the US come as momentum to arm the rebels has faltered.
Washington and Moscow agreed last week to convene an international conference to build on a deal agreed in Geneva last week to find a political solution to the violence.
While in Washington, Cameron will also visit the headquarters of the FBI where he and the new head of MI5 will meet the bureau’s director Robert Mueller, the spokesman said.
Cameron’s spokesman meanwhile said that the British leader and Obama would discuss a possible trade deal between the European Union and the United States.
The talks come as Cameron faces a rebellion from members of his own party who want him to legislate before 2015 on having a referendum about Britain’s membership of the EU.
Cameron to seek stronger Syria opposition in US talks
