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                     Syria Peace Talks on Verge of Collapse

   U.N.-brokered peace talks resume Saturday between Syria`s government
   and opposition delegations, with both sides far apart on any possible
   agreement.
   U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi meets with the two warring sides in
   Geneva in a last-ditch effort to rescue the deadlocked peace talks amid
   fears that they could collapse altogether.
   Syria`s main opposition group said Friday peace talks with the
   government have hit a "dead end" after days of talks without any
   breakthroughs.
   Opposition spokesman Louay Safi blamed what he calls the government`s
   "belligerence.`` Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad said the
   opposition has an "unrealistic agenda.``
   The opposition wants to discuss setting up a transitional government
   that would likely exclude President Bashar al-Assad. The government
   says the focus must be fighting terrorism - the term Damascus uses when
   discussing rebels.
   U.S. President Barack Obama said late Friday a "diplomatic solution"
   must be found for Syria. The president said while he does not think a
   solution will be reached in the near future, steps will be taken to
   "apply more pressure to the Assad regime."
   The president made the comments while meeting with Jordan`s King
   Abdullah in California.
   In Syria, opposition activists said a car bomb blew up outside a mosque
   in the rebel-held village of Yadouda Friday, killing at least 29
   people.
   Syrian government television also reported the blast, but gave no
   details.
   Also Friday, the U.N. Security Council continued discussions on a draft
   resolution that, among other things, expresses "grave alarm" over
   civilians trapped by Syrian forces.
   Russia is threatening a veto, calling it too one-sided against the
   Syrian government.
   U.N. emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos says getting aid to
   desperate civilians in Syria should not be a matter of controversy or
   politics.
   The U.N. says the three-year civil war has killed more 136,000 people
   and forced millions to flee their homes.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-peace-talks-on-verge-of-collaps
   e/1851935.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-peace-talks-on-verge-of-collapse/1851935.html