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Syria Focus of German Talks


Uruguay's Diego Godin, second right, heads the ball to score his side's first goal during the group D World Cup soccer match between Italy and Uruguay at the Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil.
Uruguay's Diego Godin, second right, heads the ball to score his side's first goal during the group D World Cup soccer match between Italy and Uruguay at the Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is set to attend the Munich Security Conference, where discussions will focus on the crisis in Syria.

The meeting Saturday in southern Germany is designed to revive efforts to find a means to end the civil war in Syria. Earlier this week, Syrian opposition chief Moaz al-Khatib said he is willing to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Other officials scheduled to participate in the Munich conference include Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, as well as Khatib.

The Syrian opposition leader is expected to meet with Biden on the sidelines of the conference

The U.S. vice president is also set to meet with Brahimi and Lavrov. Washington and Moscow have considerable disagreements on dealing with the Syrian crisis.

The Munich conference is renowned as a setting where senior officials are able to address policy issues in an informal setting.

Civil war between Syrian rebels and the 12-year rule of President Assad has gripped Syria since evolving from peaceful anti-government protests in March of 2011.

The United Nations says at least 60,000 people have been killed since the conflict began.


Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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