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Clear on this, they will not get in the same room with the government side until the government says that bashar al assad cannot be part of this transitional government. i mean, this already seems like a massive impasse here, christine. >> in terms of progress, nic, expectations are so low. what can we hope to come away from, if anything, from this conference? >> reporter: this is a great question. i've been trying get a clear answer from a number of people. i mean, look, this is what diplomats are saying. they're saying, number one, you know, everyone's outside of this, the u.s., the uk, all ...

Protesters clashing violently with police, leaving two demonstrators dead. also developing this morning there was hope today could be a major step forward in the effort to end syria's three-year, bloody civil war. in geneva, syrian government officials and members of the opposition are talking peace, but not with each other, with a u.n. mediator. cnn's nic robertson live in geneva with the details, where this morning, nik, it sounds like the two sides may never meet face to face. what's happening there? >> reporter: yeah, you know, christine, all the diplomats we talked to behind the scenes ...