DHAKA: Washington on Wednesday upped the ante against the Syrian regime, denouncing its ‘inflammatory rhetoric’ at the opening of key peace talks and dismissing claims of improved aid access as ‘laughable’.

‘Instead of laying out a positive vision for the future of Syria that is diverse, inclusive and respectful of the rights of all, the Syrian regime chose inflammatory rhetoric,’ State Department spokesman Jen Psaki said, reports The Straits Times.

‘The fact remains the devastating circumstances created by the regime on the ground in Syria will not be changed by inaccurate words, they will only change through the implementation of the Geneva communique, including the creation of a transitional governing body and by the regime taking real, concrete steps to increase humanitarian access and improve the lives of the people suffering the most.’

The United States has insisted for years that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has lost all legitimacy to lead his people, accusing the regime of sustained brutality in the three-year war which has left 130,000 people dead.

BDST: 2152 HRS, JAN 22, 2014