Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan will be meeting the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad today for more talks on how to bring an end of the violence in the country.

As Annan does the obligatory photocall alongside Assad's Deputy Foreign Minister this morning and they leave their hotel for the final destination, you can only wonder what the Peace Envoy's strategy for today's talks will be.

It's an extraordinarily tumultuous period for the country. The UN condemned a vicious bombing in the district of Houla which killed 108 people including scores of them women and children. The UK called the actions 'pure savagery'. The shocking pictures of countless bodies witnessed by UN observers - were beamed around the world, and horrified us all. The UN said government forces fired tank shells and artillery at the villages within Houla, but didn't go as far as blaming it for the deaths. Opposition activists and the Syrian government are still blaming each other for the attacks.

There are high hopes for more than rhetoric today. Annan wants the President to take the 'bold steps' he spoke of yesterday and show some serious intention over adhering to the already fragile ceasefire in a crisis which has now topped its 14<sup>th month and has killed more than 9,000 people.

Written & Presented by Marverine Cole