Kerry calls on Assad allies to help stop Syria violence

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called on Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement – all staunch allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – to join efforts aimed at ending the war in Syria, now in its fourth year.

Kerry, during a brief visit to Lebanese capital Beirut, said the war in Syria could only be stopped via peaceful means.

Coming to deliver a message of support for Lebanon and discuss the issue of Syrian refugees, Kerry said his country would donate $290 million in humanitarian assistance for displaced Syrians, both inside and outside the war-torn country.

The amount includes $51 million earmarked specifically for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR)'s office in Lebanon, over one million Syrian refugees have sought refuge in Lebanon.

A recent World Bank report estimated that total losses suffered by Lebanon due to the ongoing Syria conflict stood at roughly $7.5 billion.

At a press conference held following a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Kerry stressed Washington's commitment to supporting Lebanon's security and its national army and said it was vital that Lebanon select a new president.

The Lebanese presidency has stood vacant since president Michel Suleiman's six-year term expired last month. Since then, parliament has tried and failed – on five separate occasions – to choose a successor.

UN: Syria must urgently hand over last chemical agents

Meanwhile, the head of the mission overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal urged Damascus on Wednesday to urgently hand over its remaining agents, and pressed countries with influence to intervene.

Under a deal backed by the United Nations and brokered by the United States and Russia after Washington threatened air strikes against Syrian government targets, the weapons were to be destroyed by June 30.

But 7.2 percent of Syria's declared chemical agents -- 16 containers packed and ready to go -- remain outside Damascus, Sigrid Kaag, the UN official overseeing the process, told AFP.

"We call on all member states to exercise their influence to ensure the immediate removal of the remaining chemicals," said Kaag, head of the joint UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) mission to disassemble the weapons.

"The urgency, the time, the pressure to remove the remaining 7.2 percent is very, very critical," she told reporters after briefing the Security Council behind closed doors.

Kaag said in an interview that she hoped it could be wrapped up by the end of September.

"Our hope is that by the end of September everything will have been concluded," Kaag told AFP.

Humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said that there had been a marked increase in violence during the conflict, including "poisonous gases allegedly used against civilians."

Kaag refused to be drawn on the issue of chlorine as an OPCW fact-finding mission is a separate operation.

West fears ISIL more than it fears Al-Qaeda

Western observers say that the shadowy leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appears to be surpassing Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in terms of influence, as the group expands its presence in Syria and Iraq.

Western governments fear it could eventually emulate Al-Qaeda and strike overseas, but their biggest worry for now is likely the eventual return home of foreign fighters attracted by ISIL and Baghdadi.

"For the last 10 years or more, (Zawahiri) has been holed up in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area and hasn't really done very much more than issue a few statements and videos," said Richard Barrett, a former counter-terrorism chief at MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence service.

"Whereas Baghdadi has done an amazing amount -- he has captured cities, he has mobilised huge amounts of people, he is killing ruthlessly throughout Iraq and Syria.

"If you were a guy who wanted action, you would go with Baghdadi," Barrett told AFP, noting the ISIL leader's challenge to Zawahiri was "a really interesting development".

Much of the appeal also stems from Baghdadi himself -- the ISIL leader is touted as a battlefield commander and tactician, a crucial distinction compared with Zawahiri.

G7 to act jointly against Syrian foreign fighters

Leaders of the Group of Seven powers agreed Thursday to act jointly against the risk of terror attacks by European militants returning home from the Syrian front.

Saying "more than 30" French fighters had died in Syria, French President Francois Hollande said G7 leaders had decided "to cooperate to prevent, dissuade and punish" foreign fighters "who can undermine our security".

"We resolve to intensify our efforts to address the threat arising from foreign fighters travelling to Syria," a statement from the seven leaders said at the close of a first day of talks.

On Thursday, home affairs ministers from seven European nations are to meet in Luxembourg to discuss ways to step up action in face of the threat.

Though long rejected by the European Parliament, one idea will be to agree a European Passenger Name Record (PNR) system, enabling countries to swap data on all airline passengers that notably could help trace would-be terrorists.