US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have urged an immediate end to violence in Syria in a joint statement released on Monday, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Los Cabos Mexico.
The statement read:
"In order to stop the bloodshed in Syria, we call for an immediate cessation of all violence,
"We are united in the belief that the Syrian people should have the opportunity to independently and democratically choose their own future."
Mr Obama said that he and Mr Putin are going to work with "other international actors, including the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and all interested parties" to attempt to find a solution to the crisis.
Russia and China have twice blocked US-backed resolutions against the Syrian regime at the UN.
Correspondents say there were no smiles between the two leaders during the press conference, and that their interactions seemed ‘stiff and strained’.
