World leaders vow vigorous response after Paris terror spree

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks with US President Barack Obama as they arrive for the family photo during the G20 Leaders Summit in Antalya.

World leaders vowed a vigorous response to the Daesh group's terror spree in Paris as they opened a two-day meeting in Turkey on Sunday, with President Barack Obama calling the violence an "attack on the civilised world" and Russian President Vladimir Putin urging "global efforts" to confront the threat.
But beyond the tough talk and calls for action, there was little indication of how leaders intended to escalate the assault on the extremist group. The attacks in the heart of Europe - combined with earlier incidents in Lebanon and Turkey, as well as the downing of a Russian airliner in Egypt - suggest the Daesh is reaching beyond its base in Iraq and Syria, an expansion the West has feared.
"The skies have been darkened by the horrific attacks that took place in Paris just a day and a half ago," Obama said shortly after arriving in Antalya, a seaside resort city just a few hundred miles from the Syrian border. He waved off a question from reporters about whether he would authorise additional action against Daesh.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the summit host, pledged leaders would produce a "strong message" about fighting international terrorism, though he, too, did not spell out specific steps.
Putin urged nations to pool their efforts to combat terrorism, adding that the fight must respect international law, the UN Charter and each nation's sovereign rights and interests.
"We understand very well that it's only possible to deal with the terror threat and help millions of people who lost their homes by combining efforts of the entire global community," Putin said.
While US officials said Obama viewed the attacks in France as an act of war, they cautioned he had no plans to overhaul his strategy for dismantling the Daesh group and said he remained staunchly opposed to an American ground war in Syria. Instead, they foreshadowed an expansion of steps the US is already taking, namely airstrikes and train-and-equip missions for rebels inside Syria.
The Paris violence ratcheted up the urgency at the previously scheduled Group of 20 summit, an annual meeting of leading rich and developing nations. At least 129 people were killed in Friday's coordinated attacks around Paris.
Obama and Putin huddled on the sidelines of the summit for 35 minutes to discuss the proposal on Syria, as well as Russia's military moves in Syria. Putin began launching airstrikes in Syria about a month ago, a campaign he says is aimed at the Daesh group, but the US views as an effort to strengthen Assad's grip on power.
Obama appeared to take a softer tone with Putin in their talks. According to a White House readout of the meeting, the US president "noted the importance of Russia's military efforts" aimed at Daesh.
Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the leaders share similar "strategic goals" for defeating the Islamic State extremists "but tactical differences remain."
Russia is Syria's biggest benefactor, and Putin's buy-in is crucial to any political transition. The Russian leader was also scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel late Sunday.
Obama, meanwhile, huddled with the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, another crucial player in the effort to end the Syrian war. The Saudis are staunch opponents of Assad and a major funder of rebel groups in the country.
A more immediate option facing leaders was the possibility of France asking for help from its Nato allies.