Brahimi apologises to Syrians for failed talks

UN-Arab League Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi on Saturday apologized to the Syrian people for failure to make positive outcomes in the second round of Geneva II talks on Syria."I am very very sorry and I apologize to the Syrian people that their hopes which were very very high here, that something will happen here," Brahimi told a news conference after the international talks. Describing the second round of talks as "laborious", he hoped that both sides would live up to their responsibilities by focusing on four key points: violence and terrorism, a transitional governing body, national institutions and national dialogue and reconciliation. "The second round of the talks was as laborious as all the meetings we have had, but we agreed on an agenda for the next round when it does take place," Brahimi said.The Algerian-born diplomat blamed the Syrian government's delegation for failure to make progress during the international talks by repeatedly rejecting any timetable for discussions on a transitional governing body. However, the UN-Arab League envoy said progress made on the evacuation of people from the besieged city of Homs had raised hopes that had not been satisfied at the Geneva talks involving opposition and governmental teams.Syria's three-year-old conflict has killed more than 140,000 people, including over 7,000 children, according to a recent report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.