ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland

Russia, like all leading industrial governments, has a responsibility to push opposed factions in Syria’s civil war to the negotiating table as rapidly as possible and not to back a government that slaughters its citizens, Britain’s prime minister said today.

In a blunt assessment, David Cameron conceded that a daunting chasm in opinion remains between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Britain, France and United States about the path ahead in Syria. But he said today’s Group of Eight talks could narrow the ground and make multi-faction peace talks on Syria’s future government possible.

Cameron said Russia must join the West in seeking a democratic transition from the autocratic government of Bashar al-Assad, “so that people in Syria can have a government that represents them, rather than a government that’s trying to butcher them.”

Putin and Cameron discussed Syria at length Sunday in Downing Street and couldn’t paper over their differences in an at-times frosty news conference afterward.

Putin was due to hold bilateral meetings today with President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande before all G-8 leaders discuss the Syrian impasse over a working dinner at the summit. Putin has sharply criticized Obama’s announcement last week that Washington plans soon to ship weaponry to rebel forces.

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