2,880 journalists to cover G20 summit at international press center in St. Petersburg

Working places in the printed press working area are equipped with computers and telephones with free inter-city and international access; at the disposal of electronic media there are TV- and radio-cabins and stand-up zones; the whole territory of the press center is a Wi-Fi free zone. In the immediate vicinity of the press center there are offices of press services of national delegations, briefing halls, a photo agency, a repair service, a medical room, a locker room and a restaurant.

More than 500 journalists were present there at the moment of the opening of the press center. Every 15 minutes, "Meteors" arrive, which are to take media representatives from the Sea Facade in St. Petersburg to the venue of the summit. According to the Organizing Committee, 2,880 journalists are accredited to the international event.

A series of briefings and round tables are scheduled for today; the main official events of the summit will begin tomorrow.

Putin to discuss disarmament, finance, Korea, Iran with Obama

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin hopes to discuss disarmament, global economy, North Korea and Iran at a G20 meeting with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, in St. Petersburg.

"I hope I’ll be able to talk with my American opposite number on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg. I’m sure that any opportunity for a dialogue, even a working meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, would prove useful," Mr. Putin said.

The Russian leader told Associated Press and Channel One he expected to tackle a wide range of issues that had amassed over the past years, including disarmament, outlooks for the global economy, Iran and North Korea, among other problems that were of equal interest for both countries.

Obama to hold bilateral meetings with Xi, Hollande at G20 - White House

President Barack Obama will hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Francois Hollande while in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the G20 summit, a White House official said on Tuesday.

There are no plans for a formal bilateral meeting between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official said, noting the two presidents may speak "on the margins" of meetings held during the summit.

The official also confirmed that Obama plans to meet with civil society representatives in St. Petersburg.

Britain's Cameron to push G20 for Syria solution

David Cameron will push Russia and others to back a diplomatic solution to the Syria conflict at the G20 in Saint Petersburg this week, including a tougher UN response, the British Prime Minister's spokesman said Tuesday.

Cameron last week lost a parliamentary vote on joining a US-led military action against Bashar al-Assad's regime over alleged chemical weapons use and the government says it has no plans to bring the issue back before lawmakers.

His official spokesman said Cameron still wanted a "robust" response to the alleged chemical attack which killed hundreds of people on August 21, but that he would press Assad's ally Russia to support diplomatic efforts.

Cameron set out his aims for the G20, including on the Syria crisis, during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, his spokesman said.

"One of the points the Prime Minister was noting was the importance of maintaining the engagement around bringing an end to this conflict," the spokesman told a daily media briefing.

"It is no secret that a number of countries do not share our approach in a number of key respects," the spokesman said when asked if Cameron would push Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue. "But that does not mean that we do not keep working with them and others."

He added: "The outcome of the parliament is that there is not going to be a British military intervention as part of that response, but part of that response is also diplomatic and political and through a number of international bodies, the UN and the like."

The spokesman said there was no timetable yet for possible bilateral talks with Putin in Saint Petersburg. The spokesman also dismissed reports of a split in the cabinet, after the defence minister and a junior minister appeared to leave the door open for a second vote on military action if circumstances change "significantly".

"The government has said there are absolutely no plans to return to the house," he said, referring to parliament's lower chamber, the House of Commons.

Asked what Britain's aims were at the G20 in terms of the Syria conflict, the spokesman said: "Firstly trying to ensure that there is as robust an approach as possible to the use of chemical weapons. It is also about seeking to continue the diplomatic efforts for this objective to political transition."

Foreign Secretary William Hague said he would hold talks in London on Thursday with the President of the Syrian opposition National Coalition, Ahmad al-Jarba.

Russian diplomats hope discussion of Syria at G20 summit to help return situation to political track

The Russian Foreign Ministry hopes that a discussion of the Syrian problem at the G20 summit in St. Petersburg will allow the situation to return to a political track.

"One should perhaps not miss an opportunity to tell something to each other," director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Middle East and North Africa department, Sergei Vershinin, said in the Public Chamber on Tuesday.

The issue is about "preventing the military development of the situation that will only further aggravate the situation and it is about restoring political movement," he said.

St. Petersburg summit to focus on growth and employment to promote even closer partnerships among G20 members - Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will sign a package of documents at the G20 summit in St. Petersburg.

"This time, my meeting with President Putin will take place in autumn - the golden season of harvest. What has been sowed in spring will be turned into rich fruits this autumn. Together, we will review the progress in bilateral ties since our March meeting, set the direction and targets for cooperation in various areas in the next stage, and witness the signing of many new cooperation documents between relevant departments and companies," Xi said in an interview said ahead of the G20 and SCO summits.

He is heartened to note that Beijing and Moscow are actively implementing agreements reached by the two presidents during the March meeting in Moscow.

"Bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, from economy, trade, investment, energy and law enforcement, to strategic and security matters, military-to-military relations, defense technology, local exchanges, culture and international affairs, has yielded important results or made positive progress," Xi said. T

he Chinese president is certain that the St. Petersburg meeting with his Russian counterpart will help "to further capitalize on the high-level political relationship between our two countries, deepen practical cooperation across the board, intensify coordination and collaboration in international affairs, and take China-Russia relations to the next level to facilitate development efforts in both countries."

Speaking about the upcoming G20 summit in general, Xi praised the Russian president for the forum and expressed certainty that the summit would be fruitful.

"China supports the St. Petersburg summit to focus on growth and employment to promote even closer partnerships among G20 members, strengthen their macro-economic policy coordination and jointly usher in a brighter future for the world economy," he said.

As to the tasks that the G20 faces, Xi remarked upon the need for G20 members to conduct responsible macro-economic policies, support a more open global economy, improve global economic management, and cooperate with developing countries.