CRI听力:Syria Peace Conference Ends with Bitter Clash

The United Nations Secretary-General says he is sure this current round of Syrian peace talks will see the different sides sit down and engage in meaningful talks.

Ban Ki-moon's comments come as Wednesday's peace conference ended with fiery exchanges, as Syria's government and the main opposition in exile clashed over President Assad's future.

"We did not expect instant breakthroughs from today's conference, no one underestimates the difficulties. But the seriousness and the horror of the situation has focused all minds and there's a new determination to insist that the parties find a way to peace. We must seize this fragile chance."

Syria's main opposition in-exile, the Syrian National Coalition, says the purpose of the peace conference is to set up a transitional government.

The group is demanding Bashar al-Assad step down.

However, the Syrian government delegation insists there will be no transfer of power and only Syrians can decide Assad's fate.

Both parties claim to speak for the Syrian people.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who attended the meeting, is calling on all sides for understanding and accommodation in solving the crisis.

"All parties in Syria must seek common ground while showing differences and be ready to give as well as take. Inflexibility will lead to a dead end. Only showing understanding and accommodation will lead to the way forward and what is urgent now is to end hostilities and violence."

Wang Yi also talks about the importance of humanitarian assistance, but warns that aid to Syria must not be "politicised".

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the current round of talks will be neither easy nor short.

However, he says he believes conference provides a real opportunity to achieve peace.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he's happy the global community has come together to try to find a political solution to the crisis.

During the meeting, Kerry reiterated the US stand that Syria's future has to continue without Bashar al-Assad.

International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi will be meeting separately with both Syrian sides later on today in a bid to bring the two parties to face-to-face when talks resume on Friday.

Brahimi says both sides are prepared to discuss issues including improving access for aid supplies, prisoner swaps and local ceasefires.

"We've had some fairly clear indications that the parties are willing to discuss issues of access to needy people, liberation of prisoners and local ceasefires but certainty is a very rare commodity in our kind of business. What we will try to do is talk about how to end this bloody war and for that I think we have a kind of roadmap in the communiqué of 30 June 2012 and we'll see how we use that platform to best effect."

The original Geneva communiqué, laid out in 2012, calls for a political transition plan for Syria.

The talks between Syrian government and opposition delegations are expected to last about seven days.

The Syrian conflict, which began in March of 2011, has left over 100-thousand dead and millions more displaced.

For CRI, I'm Marc Cavigli.