Talks between the US, Russia, and the UN will be held in mid-January in a new attempt to resolve the crisis in Syria, according to US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

Violence has been spreading over the country (Photo: Associated Press)

Nuland said Washington hopes Moscow will use its influence to convince Syrian President Bashar Al-Alsad to leave politics. She reaffirmed the US stance that there is no role for Al-Assad in Syria’s political future. A similar meeting took place in Switzerland in December.