Clinton, Lavrov set for Syria showdown
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On the eve of Saturday's conference aimed at ending 16 months of brutal violence in Syria, Clinton US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were to meet in St. Petersburg in a bid to iron out deep differences over the transition plan being pushed by UN envoy Kofi Annan.
Lavrov acknowledged that a transition period is necessary to end the violence in Syria, but said Russia had not agreed to all elements of Annan's plan, in particular any suggestion that Assad would be required to leave. (AP)
