Clinton hosts meeting of Friends of Syria nations

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Syria will be a major concern today on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosts a meeting of the Friends of Syria group of nations.

The group of Western nations and allies in the Middle East plan to urge Syria's fractured opposition to unite, seeking a new path for ending the country's conflict amid deadlock between major powers on the U.N. Security Council. Russia and China have, so far, vetoed Security Council efforts to act.

The talks don't include Russia, China or Iran.

Clinton has decried Syrian President Bashar Assad's "murdering of his own people," while Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov -- who will address the General Assembly today, has accused the U.S. and other countries of encouraging terrorism in their stance on Syria.