31/01/2014 10:17
Syria peace talks due to end in Geneva
The current round of peace negotiations on Syria is due to end in Switzerland later on Friday, with little or no progress expected on core issues, the BBC reported.
After a week of talks at the UN headquarters in Geneva, the opposing sides are still stuck on the question of how to proceed.
UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has said he hopes for more progress in next week's second round of talks.
More than 100,000 people have died since the uprising began in March 2011.
In a rare gesture of harmony on Thursday, both sides stood together in silence to remember victims of the violence.
Correspondents say Friday's closing session in Geneva is expected to be largely ceremonial, with government and opposition delegates due to meet again on 10 February.
"I hope that in the next session, when we come back, we will be able to have a more structured discussion," Mr Brahimi said on Thursday.
He said he was "very, very disappointed" that a UN aid convoy was still waiting to enter the rebel-held Old City of Homs, where the US says civilians are starving.
Diplomats have said that a top priority is to keep the talks process going in the hope that hard-line positions can be modified over time.