Syria envoy ducks talk of Assad future at UN meet

Syria's government on Friday said it held "useful" talks with the United Nations envoy on a political solution to the conflict, but stopped short of meeting his call for clear plans on a new government. The Damascus regime's lead negotiator Bashar al-Jafaari spoke for just over a minute after his meeting with UN mediator Staffan de Mistura and refused to take questions. Before Friday's meeting, de Mistura voiced the hope he would get "in-depth clarity from the government" about options for polit