Russia and Arab League propose direct Syria talks

Russia and the Arab League say they want to broker direct talks between the Syrian government and opposition in a bid to end the country's civil war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said violence was "a road to nowhere".

The move comes as the opposition Syrian National Coalition is due to begin a two-day meeting in Egypt to discuss a framework for a possible solution.

Some 70,000 people have died since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, the UN says.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Cairo says although the Syrian government and the opposition are talking about dialogue, that still seems a distant prospect.

Mr Lavrov said the Kremlin and the Arab League wanted to establish direct contact between the Syrian government and the opposition.

Speaking in Moscow, where he hosted league officials and several Arab foreign ministers, the Russian foreign minister said that sitting down at a negotiating table was the only way to end the conflict without irreparable damage to Syria.

Opposition activists said that a government air raid on the Damascus suburb of Hamouriyeh on Wednesday killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more.

They also said government planes bombed rebel positions around Damascus and near the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday.