US envoy criticizes Russia for 'holding UNSC hostage' on Syria at G20 Summit

World leaders at the G20 Summit were divided over Syria at the end of the first day of their meeting in Russia.

The US envoy to the United Nations, Samantha Power showed her frustration at Moscow, accusing the country of holding the Security Council hostage by repeatedly blocking resolutions.

According to the BBC, she said the Security Council was no longer a viable path for holding Syria accountable for war crimes.

The United States government accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces for killing 1,429 people in a poison-gas attack in the Damascus suburbs on 21 August.

The UK said that scientists at the Porton Down research laboratories have found traces of sarin gas on cloth and soil samples, the report said.

Earlier, Power told a news conference in New York that in the wake of the flagrant shattering of the international norm against chemical weapons use, Russia continues to hold the council hostage and shirk its international responsibilities.

US President Barack Obama is thought to be trying at the G20 summit to build an international coalition to back strikes against military targets in Syria, the report added.