Annan to convene Syria talks in Geneva on Saturday

Geneva: International peace envoy Kofi Annan intends to convene a high-level meeting on Syria in Geneva this Saturday as the conflict there intensifies, his deputy said on Wednesday.

Mr Annan, the joint United Nations-Arab League envoy whose six-point peace plan for Syria has so far failed to halt the bloodshed, is working with foreign governments and all sides in the war to bring about a peaceful and comprehensive settlement, Jean-Marie Guehenno said.

"But this effort cannot be open-ended. Time is running out. Syria is spiraling into deeper and more destructive violence," Mr Guehenno told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Annan's efforts in recent weeks had focused on setting up an action group on Syria which he now intended to convene on Saturday. It would seek a "common position on the proposed outcomes," Mr Guehenno said.

Western diplomats said they had not received any firm word of the Geneva meeting. "It is looking more likely but there is no confirmation," one said.

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