G8 foreign ministers meet on Wednesday in London, where host Britain will press its case for doing more to help the Syrian opposition against President Bashar al-Assad and end a devastating civil war. Responding to threats from North Korea of an imminent conflict with its southern neighbour will also be high on the agenda of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia - gathered in Britain's capital till Thursday. Leaders of the Syrian National Coalition will be present on the sidelines of the G8 and hold talks with those foreign ministers willing to meet them, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters on Tuesday. Hague, his French counterpart Laurent Fabius and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are expected to hold talks with the civilian opposition figures. "I will be joining and convening some of those meetings to discuss the urgent humanitarian needs and the urgent need for a political and diplomatic breakthrough on Syria," Hague said. France and Britain are expected once again to press the case for amending or lifting an arms embargo on Syria to support the outgunned rebels waging a two-year-old uprising against Assad and help end a civil war that has already claimed an estimated 70,000 lives and displaced millions of people. "This is turning into the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century so far, and we cannot watch this happen," Hague said, adding that humanitarian aid, while indispensable, would not alone solve the Syrian crisis. "We certainly believe that it's necessary to continue, if the situation continues to deteriorate, to increase the practical help we give to the Syrian opposition," Hague said.
