UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN mediator Kofi Annan and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi arrived at UN headquarters in Geneva on Saturday, where world powers are gathering to try to find a solution to the crisis in Syria.
UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan Annan wants world leaders to agree on a plan calling for a national unity government in Syria. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone/Associated Press)Representatives of the UN, Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Turkey and other European countries will take part in the international conference.
Annan wants them to agree on a plan calling for a national unity government in Syria.
The U.S. and Russia have disagreed repeatedly on what action to take since violence broke out in Syria 16 months ago.
The U.S. wants Assad to leave power, while Russia opposes what it calls any "external meddling" in Syrian affairs.
Meanwhile, activists are reporting shelling by Syrian troops killed dozens of people Friday in the sprawling Damascus suburb of Douma, which has been a hotbed of dissent during the 16-month-old rebellion. They estimated the violence left at least 180 dead across the country.