Syria regime 'not serious' about negotiations: Berlin

Germany's foreign minister has said the Syrian government was not serious about negotiating, after the latest round of peace talks ended without progress.
The talks' failure "shows once again that (President Bashar al-Assad) and his people are not seriously interested in negotiations," Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a brief statement yesterday.
The Syrian authorities are interested only "in consolidating their hold on power," he said.
"The suffering of Syrians and the future of the country clearly plays no role," added Steinmeier, calling on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution to end war crimes in Syria.
A second round of peace talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition broke off Saturday in Geneva, with no date set for a third round.

Britain, France and the United States, which back the opposition coalition against the Syrian regime and have regularly called for Assad to stand down, have blamed the Syrian government for sinking the talks.