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A possible U.S. military strike against Syria should not overshadow major economic agenda of the ongoing Group of Twenty (G20) summit, representatives from civil societies said Thursday.
As policymakers from developed and developing countries of the 20-member group gathered here to discuss ailing economy and mull strategies for sustainable growth, the United States has been pushing for a military operation against Syria over alleged chemical weapons use by government forces.
Representatives from various civil society groups called on the G20 to refrain from endorsing any military intervention in Syria and facilitating political process to end the war.
"A military attack will only add fire and put the whole region in danger," Marta Benavides, co-chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty said in a press release on the sidelines of the G20 meeting.
"We have had enough experience of war and their impact on people's lives and livelihoods. The G20 can not even consider realistically talking about providing jobs or growth without talking of peace and sustaining life," Beckie Malay, another civil society group member, told reporters.
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee endorsed Wednesday a revised resolution authorizing the use of force against Syria, in a 10-7 vote. It stated that the goal of U.S. military intervention in Syria should be to bolster the Free Syrian Army which is fighting al-Assad's forces, while setting a 90-day time limit for the military action and barring U.S. ground troops in Syria.
"Any military action will have a high risk of increasing tension, leading to more violence and division," Ziad Abdel Samad, a civil society group member said, adding one cannot stop a violation of international law by violating the international law.
Some civil society representatives expressed their concerns that the two-day summit, which opened Thursday afternoon, will become a platform for the United States to advance its private interest while the international community is striving to promote global recovery and common interests for all.
Russia introduced a parallel Civil Society 20 (C20) summit, inviting representatives from civil societies to discuss initiatives to be put to G20 leaders and their key recommendation is the addition of a fourth pillar to the group's three-pillar recovery plan.
