U.N. negotiator sorry for failed talks

GENEVA — The U.N. mediator for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, wrapped up the second round of peace talks here Saturday without breaking a long-standing deadlock or setting a date for a third round, and he urged parties to think seriously about their commitment to the negotiations.

Brahimi said the talks had broken down primar- ily because the Syrian government balked at his suggestion that the negotiators discuss both sides’ top demands early on rather than spending days on the government’s demands.

“I am very, very sorry, and I apologize to the Syrian people,” Brahimi, who has spent decades negotiating thorny conflicts, said after a last-ditch 45-minute meeting ended in disagreement.

The dispiriting finish called into question the future of the talks. In two rounds, the talks have produced no actual negotiations on resolving a conflict that has killed more than 135,000 people, even though they are sponsored by Russia and the United States and backed by other countries.

Brahimi said he would push for a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Western officials called for new pressure on the Syrian government. British Foreign Secretary William Hague tweeted that the security council “must now act to address the humanitarian crisis urgently.” But Russia, sees Western attempts to require access for aid workers as a pretext for military action.