UNITED NATIONS – Western nations and allies in the Middle East met Friday to urge Syria's fractured opposition to unite, seeking a new path for ending the country's conflict amid deadlock between major powers on the UN Security Council. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosted talks among the Friends of Syria — a coalition which includes the United States, the European Union and the Arab League — on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, seeking to encourage better cooperation among groups which oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad. The talks, which did not include Russia, China or Iran, took place with the Security Council at a stalemate on efforts to halt the 18-month-long conflict, which activists say has led to more than 30,000 deaths. Meanwhile, the UN's top human rights body Friday extended by six months the mission of its independent expert panel probing alleged war crimes in Syria's 18-month conflict. The panel led by Brazilian professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro has blamed Syria's government forces for the majority of serious abuses since the uprising began in March 2011. Members of the 47-nation Human Rights Council voted 41 to three in favor of a resolution put forward by Arab states. Three countries abstained. Russia, China and Cuba opposed the resolution. The resolution, which extends the mission until the council's next session in March, was drawn up by a number of Arab, Western and developing countries. -Agencies
