Syria peace conference to start in Switzerland

A major conference aimed at finding a solution to the three-year conflict in Syria which has left 100,000 dead is starting in Switzerland.

The Syrian government and the main opposition are attending the Geneva II summit along with international allies.

The key issue, on which neither side appears willing to budge, is the future of President Bashar al-Assad.

Differences were also laid bare on the eve of the summit, in a report accusing Syria of mass torture and executions

The conference will begin in Montreux on Wednesday, and continue in Geneva two days later.

This would be the first time the Syrian government and the opposition have met face-to-face since the start of the conflict, which, in addition to the dead, has left millions of Syrians displaced.

The first day will see speeches from some of the 40 or so foreign ministers who have gathered in Montreux.

But as the delegations arrived, the main opposition National Coalition and the Syrian government were quick to set out their agendas on the future of Mr Assad.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem was quoted by Syria's Sana news agency as saying: "The issues of the president and the regime are red lines for us and for the Syrian people. Nobody can touch the presidency."

On his arrival in Switzerland, Badr Jamous, secretary-general of the National Coalition, told Reuters: "We will not accept less than the removal of the criminal Bashar al-Assad and changing the regime and holding the murderers accountable."

International delegates to Geneva II have played down hopes of a breakthrough, saying the talks should be seen as the first step in a process.

The lead-up to the summit has been difficult, with the UN first inviting Iran - Syria's ally - to the talks and then withdrawing the invitation.