Annan in last-ditch attempt to rescue Syria peace talks

The UN peace envoy Kofi Annan said after talks in Geneva that the government should include members of Mr Assad's administration and the Syrian opposition to pave the way for free elections. The Geneva talks had been billed as a last-ditch effort to halt the worsening violence in Syria, but Russia, Mr Assad's most powerful ally, has opposed Western and Arab insistence that he must quit the scene. The final communiqué said the transitional government "could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent". But, in a victory for Russian diplomacy, it omitted language contained in a previous draft which...