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Obama to huddle with European leaders on Islamic State fight

12 November 2015 22:40 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. President Barack Obama will huddle with the leaders of Germany, Britain, Italy and France next week in hopes of making "incremental progress" in the fight against the Islamic State group, the White House said Thursday, APA report quoting Associated Press.

The leaders will gather in Turkey on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit, regrouping after diplomats emerge from a second round of talks on Syria's crisis in Vienna over the weekend. But Susan Rice, Obama's national security adviser, suggested a major breakthrough was unlikely.

"I don't think anybody expects a single outcome that all of a sudden readily resolves all of these difficult issues," Rice said.

Russia, which is circulating a new proposal to end the Syrian conflict, won't participate in the meeting in Turkey, and Obama had no plans to hold a formal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin while both are in Turkey for the G20 summit. Still, Rice said Obama and Putin would have "ample opportunity for discussion" during informal run-ins at the summit.

Obama's longtime antagonist, Putin is coming to the annual gathering of the world's 20 largest economies in a stronger position than last year, when he left the summit early as world leaders took turns railing against his actions in Ukraine. Efforts by the U.S. and European countries to punish Russia with economic sanctions have done little to change Putin's approach in Ukraine. And in recent weeks, Putin has re-emerged as a key player in the Syria conflict, opening an air campaign against groups fighting Syria's government and now drafting a plan for a lengthy political transition.

The White House said Ukraine was also on the agenda when Obama meets with European leaders.

Obama departs on Saturday for a trip to Turkey, Malaysia and the Philippines, aimed in large part at bolster Obama's campaign to realign U.S. engagement overseas toward Asia. A key goal for his trip is to promote the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the U.S. recently struck with nations in the Asia-Pacific and in North America. He also hopes to rally support for a global climate deal that world leaders hope to finalize in Paris within weeks.

While in Turkey, the White House says Obama will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In Asia, Obama will hold his first meetings with the new prime ministers of Canada and Australia. He'll also hold separate meetings with the leaders of Malaysia, Japan, Laos and the Philippines.