A new round of talks had been expected for the end of May, but no new date has been announced. The UN's peace envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said on Thursday that he had no plans to convene another round in the next two or three weeks. Diplomats have said there was little chance that the opposition would take part in new peace talks if violence was raging and no aid was reaching civilians. The talks aim to reach a political set- tlement to end the five-year war that has left 280,000 dead and driven millions from their homes. The fate of Mr Assad has been a key stumbling block in the negotiations, with the opposition insisting any peace deal must include his departure while Damas- cus says his future is non-negotiable.AFP