Frustrated Western powers call for talks to end Syria war

Western powers called Saturday for talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition in a bid to end a war that has cost more than 300,000 lives, but desperation hung over a meeting in Paris. With President Bashar al-Assad's forces pursuing an onslaught on rebel-held areas of Aleppo assisted by Russian air power, the West's powerlessness was evident as leading powers and Gulf states gathered for discussions with the opposition. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has called the regime's "indiscriminate bombing" of Aleppo "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity", said he had confirmation that Assad was ready for negotiations.

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