DHAKA: A major conference aimed at finding a solution to the three-year conflict in Syria which has left 100,000 dead is starting in Switzerland.

The Syrian government and the main opposition are attending the Geneva II summit along with international allies, reports the BBC.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon told delegates they faced a ‘formidable challenge’, but there was a chance to ‘make a new beginning’.

However correspondents say no major breakthroughs are expected soon.

The key issue, on which neither side appears willing to budge, is the future of president Bashar al-Assad.

Differences were also laid bare on the eve of the summit, in a report accusing Syria of mass torture and executions.

BDST: 1528 HRS, JAN 22, 2014