Slim progress made as Syria peace talks close in Switzerland

• Second round of talks in Switzerland has ended with little achieved, U.N. mediator says


• Lahkdar Brahimi apologizes to the Syrian people suffering after nearly three years of conflict


• Brahimi says the Syrian government is refusing to discuss a transitional governing body


• Well over 100,000 people have died in Syria during almost three years of conflict

(CNN) — U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said Saturday that a second round of talks in Geneva, Switzerland, aimed at ending the crisis in Syria had come to an end with little progress made.

The opposition and the government have agreed to an agenda for a third round of talks but they have not agreed on how to tackle it, he said.

Brahimi apologized to the Syrian people, saying he was “very, very sorry” that despite two rounds of talks ” we haven’t done very much.”

The key sticking point is that the Syrian government wants to talk about tackling terrorism, while the opposition wants to discuss forming a transitional governing body.

Brahimi said he had suggested starting the next round of talks with one day of discussion on each issue — but that the government had thrown a wrench in the works.

“Unfortunately the government has refused, which raises the suspicion of the opposition that in fact the government doesn’t want to discuss the (transitional governing body) at all,” he said.

Brahimi said such intransigence was “not good for the process,” or for Syria.

Negotiators from both sides should go back to their leaders and reflect on a way forward, he said. “Do they want this process to take place or not?” he said.

The snail-paced peace talks, which started last month with Brahimi serving as an intermediary between the two delegations sitting in the same room, have failed to produce an agreement on a first step for resolving a conflict that has dragged on for nearly three years.

It has killed well over 100,000 people and caused millions to flee their homes.

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Slim progress made as Syria peace talks close in Switzerland