U.S. backs UN role in resolving Syria crisis

Countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad, including the United States, backed continued efforts by the United Nations to broker a political solution to the bloody civil war in Syria, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Friday.

"It is clear that all who met want a political solution ... and that this political solution must be achieved in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations and that there cannot be any parallel negotiations," Gabriel told reporters after a meeting that included the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, France and Britain.