10 Amazing Places To See Before You Die!!

For those of you looking to broaden your horizons a bit, and for those of you bitten by the travel bug, exploring the world is the ultimate experience. Whether it be backpacking around Asia with friends, or going it alone in Europe or touring the sides in America, there are plenty of hidden gems out there that wont cost you an arm and a leg to see.

Here’s the SoSueMe guide to some of the most amazing places the planet has to offer, as we take you away from the usual tourist traps and off the beaten track a bit.

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand – Located between Phuket and the western side of the main coastline, this little group of islands was made famous by the Leo DiCaprio movie The Beach. Very popular with backpackers, these islands are populated by fishermen and their families and offer up a stunning array of beaches to explore. A must see for anyone doing the Thailand experience.

Carerra Lake, Chile – Nestled at the base of the Andes mountain range, half of this lake is in Chile and the other half Argentina. The lake holds an amazing secret at it’s centre… a series of marble caves, tunnels and caverns offering spectacular hideaways for those of you that like to try somewhere a little different.

Bora Bora, Tahiti – One of the most beautiful beach getaways in the world, Bora Bora has become famous for being a luxury getaway for those that like to pamper themselves. Surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef, and featuring the remnants of an extinct volcano at it’s centre, the small island is big on personality. Admittedly seeing this place is going to cost you, but when it offers once in a lifetime views, aren’t you worth it?!?  

Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand – Situated on the south island of New Zealand, near a town called Twizel, this camper’s paradise is one of the largest national parks and nature reserves in the world. As tranquil and serene as it is beautiful, for those of you thinking of travelling to this area of the world, it’s well worth a day or two out of your schedule.

Santorini, Greece – About 120 miles south of Greece’s mainland lies this island paradise. Built on the remains of a volcano, this gorgeous fishing town offers plenty of relaxation and places to be wined and dined for you foodies out there! Named “the world’s best island” by a BBC poll, the area thrives on it’s idyllic, sun kissed location to draw in tourists from all corners. Definitely worth considering for those of you thinking of travelling to Greece at some point, as it has something different to offer than the usual package holiday destinations.

Plitvice, Croatia – Probably the most stunning group of lakes and lagoons in Europe, and entrance to the national park that holds them is a tiny €15!! It features 16 lakes all interconnected and separated by natural dams, all flowing into one another. The colours of the lakes are constantly changing because of mineral pockets under the water, creating a beautiful array of flowers and fauna along the banks. Breathtakingly beautiful, this place should be on everyone’s bucket list!

Angkor Wat, Cambodia – Returning to Asia, this time we’re looking at one of the largest religious monument in the world;  a Buddhist temple built over 900 years ago. A huge draw for those backpacking around the region, the temples inside are awesome in the true sense of the word. The sprawling ruins are over 2 miles long and are perfect for anyone looking to bring home some dramatic and stunning pics from their travels abroad.

Pamukkale, Turkey – Located in Turkey’s Aegean region, this series of natural hot springs has to be seen to be believed. In the last few years it’s become more and more of a tourist getaway, as the travertine springs are seriously relaxing for those needing to de-stress on their holidays. The warm climate helps too, as it gives the feeling of lying out in a giant, natural jacuzzi all day. Heaven.

Zermatt, Switzerland – This picturesque town is famed for it’s beautiful views of the Alps, while offering all the mod cons of a city break as well. The area has decent shopping for those that like to spend their hard earned cash on local fashion, as well as some top class restaurants for eating out. Perfect for a skiing break or just as a getaway to unwind and kick back, as long as you don’t mind wrapping up warm for the colder climate!

The Maldives – Another beach resort, and another one on our list likely to set you back more than the other locations, but there’s a reason for that; Quite simply, this series of islands cant be matched for pure indulgent luxury. The hotels and private beach houses for rent are all 5 star quality and offer the perfect break for everyone from movie stars to wealthy business folk. While not as readily accessible to most of us as the other places on the list, you gotta have something to dream about!!

So that’s our pick of some of the best hidden gems that travelling has to offer, and some of the nicest luxury getaways money can buy. What places have you discovered on your travels?!

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Shahzeb Khan murder case: Top court throws out Shahrukh Jatoi’s plea

KARACHI: 

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday dismissed an application filed by Shahrukh Jatoi, the prime convict in the Shahzeb Khan murder case, who sought quashing of proceedings related to ‘possession of illegal weapons’.

The two-member bench of the appellate apex court, comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, finding no merits, dismissed the plea.

An anti-terrorism court had sentenced Jatoi to death on June 7, upon founding him guilty of murdering the 20-year-old son of a police deputy superintendent. He was also sentenced to a three-year-jail term for possessing an illicit weapon.

Co-accused in the case, Nawab Siraj Talpur was also sentenced to death. Nawab Sajjad Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were handed life imprisonment sentences and directed to pay Rs500,000 each to the victim’s family.

The prime convict, who is currently serving sentences in prison, filed an application, seeking quashing proceedings initiated against him under Section 13-E of the Arms Ordinance 1965.

His lawyer, Syed Shafquat Shah Masoomi, informed that the prosecution had initially claimed recovering a pistol from the custody of his client. Inspector Muhammad Mobin, the second investigation officer, later tempered with the forensic experts’ report, showing the weapon as a 9mm pistol with four live rounds, he alleged.

He added that a similar objection was raised before the trial court, which had overruled the same. An application on the similar point was also filed with the Sindh High Court, which also rejected the same, the lawyer informed.

He pleaded to the apex court to set aside the high court’s order and quash proceedings initiated against Shahrukh under the arms law.

Earlier on Thursday, the appellate apex court’s bench observed that the trial court had overruled such objections, which were later also turned down by the high court, and ultimately the sentences had been awarded. The bench subsequently dismissed the plea.

It may be recalled that earlier the same bench had dismissed another application of the convict Shahrukh Jatoi who had sought suspension of death sentence awarded to him by the anti-terrorism court for murder.

Syria polio outbreak 'spreads'

At least 22 people - most of them babies and toddlers - are now believed to have contracted polio in Syria, the World Health Organization has reported.

If confirmed, it would be the first outbreak of the disease there in 14 years. Syria's Health Ministry began an immunisation drive on Thursday.

Before Syria's civil war began in 2011, some 95% of children were vaccinated against the disease.

Now, Unicef estimates 500,000 children have not been immunised.

WHO said the suspected outbreak centres on the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.

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"There is a cluster of 22 acute flaccid paralysis cases that is being investigated in that area," WHO spokesman Oliver Rosenbauer told Reuters news agency. "Everybody is treating this as an outbreak and is in outbreak response mode."

Two cases have already been confirmed by laboratory tests while the WHO expects final laboratory confirmation on the remaining 20 cases next week.

Mass immunisation

There are more than 100,000 children, all under age five, now at risk of polio in Deir Ezzor province alone, which has been caught in fierce battles between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters.

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The city of Deir Ezzor remains partially controlled by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, while the countryside is in the hands of the opposition.

The WHO is now working with the UN, Syria's Health Ministry and other agencies on a mass immunisation programme.

But it is expected to be a difficult undertaking, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva, given the widespread insecurity and estimates that over half of Syria's medical professionals have left the country.

More than four million Syrians have been displaced internally by the conflict and generally live in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. The WHO has already reported increases in cases of measles, typhoid and hepatitis A.

Aid agencies are also developing emergency immunisation plans for Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt.

Syrian refugees are also at risk of disease due to poor living conditions

"Obviously, we're extremely worried about the situation," Simon Ingram, a spokesman for Unicef's operations in the Middle East, told the BBC.

"People are flooding across borders in an uncontrolled manner and this increases the possibilities and means by which the virus can spread."

No known cure

The highly contagious disease is most often spread by consuming food or liquid contaminated with faeces.

Polio has been largely eradicated in developed countries but remains endemic in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Worldwide, polio cases have fallen from an estimated 350,000 at the start of a WHO-led immunisation campaign in 1988 to just 223 reported cases last year.

There is no known cure, though a series of vaccinations can confer immunity. Young children are particularly susceptible to paralytic polio, the most serious form of the disease.

Yaya Toure: Fifa & Uefa must act over football racism

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has said it is time to let Fifa and Uefa "do their work" after accusing CSKA Moscow fans of racism.

Toure claimed he was racially abused during Wednesday's Champions League win and suggested African players might boycott the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Asked on Friday if a boycott was still a possibility, the Ivory Coast player told BBC Afrique: "We're not here yet."

Toure spoke to referee Ovidiu Hategan during the 2-1 win over CSKA to complain about the behaviour of the home fans, although the Russian club have denied any racist abuse took place.He added: "Let's leave Fifa and Uefa to do their work."

The Romanian official chose to do nothing at the time, but Uefa, which governs European football, has since opened disciplinary proceedings against CSKA Moscow for the "racist behaviour of their fans".

"Uefa has decided to do certain things. They have decided to apply the rules. That's all we want," said Toure.

"A lot of things have been said about racism. If today an organisation and supporters stray from the straight path or slip up, the goal is to set them straight again.

"We are all humans. It is not a nice feeling to go and play a football match - to bring joy to the people - and to be called a monkey or to hear monkey noises. I don't look like a monkey. That's what disappoints me so much."

Play me

Toure had suggested after the match in Moscow that African players might decide not to play in the 2018 World Cup if nothing was done to tackle the issue of racism.

But several Premier League managers have said talk of a boycott is either wrong or premature.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho insists boycotting the 2018 World Cup is not the way to combat racism in football and urged players not to punish "billions" for the "disgraceful behaviour" of thousands.

"If I was a black player, I would say the other billions are much more important, so let's fight the thousands, but let's give to the billions what the billions want," he said.

"And the billions want the best football - and the best football without black players is not the best football."

"It is the people who come up against the racial abuse that should really answer the question but my feeling is I don't think walking off the pitch [works]," he said.Manchester United manager David Moyes believes walking off the pitch would be allowing those responsible for the behaviour to win.

"That gives the people chanting or shouting against you what they want.

"That is not the way. Sanctions have to be taken on the club, the players and other supporters who are involved."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger added that Uefa must complete its investigation before there is any more talk of a boycott.

"It's a bit early because it's not proven what happened," he said.

Manuel Pellegrini, Toure's manager at Manchester City, also urged Uefa to act.

"Uefa have the right things in place to deal with the problem and they need to deal with the issue," said the Chilean. "I hope it won't happen again."

While Uefa has said it is investigating Toure's complaint, its president Michel Platini has ordered an internal investigation  to find out why proper protocol was not followed in the handling of the incident.

Golden Joysticks: Grand Theft Auto 5 bags Game of the Year award

The adult-themed crime game, Grand Theft Auto 5, has won the top prize at the Golden Joystick awards.

Rockstar's controversial game - where players commit crime in the fictional city of Los Santos - was presented with the Game of the Year gong at a ceremony in central London.

Sony's The Last of Us also scooped two awards.

Ken Levine - the man behind Bioshock and System Shock 2 - was honoured with a lifetime achievement award.

The Golden Joysticks are the largest publicly-voted video game awards in the world, with this year more than 10 million people casting a vote.

The Lifetime Achievement is a new addition to the ceremony.

Mr Levine has been a high profile figure in the industry ever since he worked with designer Doug Church, on the first-person shooter, Thief: The Dark Project, credited with being one of the first titles to introduce the concept of stealth into video games.

"The great thing about the still-maturing nature of video games is you get to be inspired by the work of novices and veterans alike," he said.

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"We're all figuring out day by day exactly what the medium is capable of."

Gaming diversity

Now in its 31st year, the awards were first given out back in 1983, with the first Game of the Year award going to Jet Pac on the ZX Spectrum.

Andy Robinson, editor of Computer and Videogames, said that three decades on, the awards still "represent the voice of gamers worldwide".

"We've revamped the categories to reflect the diversity of modern gaming and also added the inaugural Lifetime Achievement award, which has made this year's ceremony the most thrilling for us yet," he said.

The Golden Joysticks are not the only big awards for the video games industry.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts hands out its Video Game Baftas in the spring each year, although the majority of their awards are selected by a panel of experts, rather than a public vote.

Grand Theft Auto 5, released last month, quickly became the fastest selling entertainment product ever, taking just three days to generate $1bn (£620m) in revenue.

Nigerian militants raid northern city of Damaturu

Suspected Boko Haram militants have engaged security forces in a lengthy gun battle and raided a hospital in the northern Nigerian city of Damaturu.

Residents told the BBC that it was a "big, audacious attack" and that assailants stole drugs from the hospital and drove off in ambulances.

Meanwhile, the military said it had killed 74 suspected Boko Haram militants in a raid in Borno state.

Authorities have recently stepped up their campaign against the militants.

North-eastern Nigeria is the focus of an insurgency by the group that began in 2009 and aims to create an Islamic state.

President Goodluck Jonathan urged the military to up its campaign against Boko Haram five months ago.

Damaturu is the main city in Yobe state, which lies to the west of Borno. It has been calm for more than a year, and there is a large military presence in there.

'Slow response'

Nonetheless, gunfire rocked the city for some seven hours after a group of about 20 gunmen - some in military uniform - targeted the hospital late on Thursday.

Clashes between militants and the security forces spread to other parts of the city. A health worker described seeing a police vehicle ferrying corpses to the mortuary.

The resident who described the attack as "audacious" said the gunfire was heavy, continuous, and loud.

He also said that people in Damaturu were surprised that it had taken the military at least an hour to respond.

Authorities later imposed a 24-hour curfew, and streets were deserted on Friday.

The military raid in Borno state involved "ground and aerial assault" and "led to the destruction of the identified terrorist camps," said army spokesman Lt Mohammed Dole.

Lt Dole said the latest raid had been carried out on Thursday and that two soldiers had been wounded.

The BBC's Will Ross reports from Nigeria that it seems surprising that Boko Haram camps are still being found, given all the resources available to the army.

The army's claims about military operations against the group are hard to verify - there has been no mobile phone network in Borno state since the latest offensive was launched.

Nigeria's campaign has been criticised by human rights groups.

Amnesty International said earlier this month that hundreds had died in detention in north-eastern Nigeria, some from starvation or extra-judicial killings.

Nigeria's interior said the report was "not true".

EU says distrust of US on spying may harm terror fight

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EU leaders meeting in Brussels said distrust of the US over spying could harm the fight against terrorism.

A statement agreed by the leaders said that "a lack of trust could prejudice" intelligence-gathering co-operation.

France and Germany are pushing for talks with the US to find a new "understanding" by the year's end.

A number of allegations against US intelligence agents have surfaced this week, including the bugging of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone.

In addition there have been claims that the US National Security Agency (NSA) monitored millions of French telephone calls.

Meanwhile, Spain has followed Germany and France in summoning the US ambassador to explain reports of spying on the country.

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On Thursday, the UK's Guardian newspaper also reported that it had obtained a confidential memo from the NSA suggesting it had monitored the phones of 35 world leaders.

The latest revelations have been sourced to US whistleblower Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor who fled the country earlier this year and is now in Russia.

They have overshadowed other issues at the EU summit in Brussels, including the Mediterranean migration problem, which framed the agenda of Friday's talks.

Italian authorities said they had intercepted some 800 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean as the EU leaders prepared to meet.

'Vital element'

The EU leaders' statement, released on Friday, reflected their conclusions following talks on Thursday.

It said the recent intelligence issues had raised "deep concerns" among European citizens.

The statement said the leaders "underlined the close relationship between Europe and the USA and the value of that partnership".

David Cameron says he supports France and Germany in seeking talks with US over spying

"[The leaders] stressed that intelligence-gathering is a vital element in the fight against terrorism," it continued.

And it went on: "A lack of trust could prejudice the necessary cooperation in the field of intelligence-gathering."

"The heads of state or government took note of the intention of France and Germany to seek bilateral talks with the USA with the aim of finding before the end of the year an understanding on mutual relations in that field," the leaders' statement also said.

"They noted that other EU countries are welcome to join this initiative."

French President Francois Hollande said the aim of the initiative "is about knowing about the past and setting a framework for the future and putting an end to monitoring mechanisms that are not controlled".

Germany and France said they are proposing talks with the US to settle the row by the end of the year. But Mrs Merkel stressed Berlin and Paris would be making their own separate approaches to Washington.

BBC Europe editor Gavin Hewitt says the French and Germans are looking for a new set of rules with a "no spying pact" at the core.

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He says this would mirror an arrangement the United States has had with Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada since just after World War II. That secret intelligence-sharing operation is known as Five Eyes.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged the UK's "unique partnership" with the US regarding security but said: "I understand what others want to do and support that, as I think does President Obama".

Mrs Merkel said she did not know the exact details of the Five Eyes arrangement so could not say whether that is exactly what Germany is seeking, but added: "We need something clear-cut, in line with the spirit of an alliance".

A number of other leaders also indicated their support for the French and German position.

Belgian Prime Minister Elio di Rupo said: "The objective must remain the same - to fight against terrorism but also respect privacy.

"Everyone can understand the need for exceptional measures given the danger of terrorism... but we are not in the position where we should spy on each other."

Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt said it was "completely unacceptable" to eavesdrop on the leader of an ally, a view echoed by Italian PM Enrico Letta, who added: "We want the truth."

Angela Merkel: "Once the seeds of mistrust have been sown it doesn't facilitate our co-operation... it makes it more difficult"

Other leaders signalled the need to move on.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said: "The main thing is that we look to the future. The trans-Atlantic partnership was, and is, important."

Mrs Merkel had raised her concerns with US President Barack Obama in a call on Wednesday.

White House spokesman Jay Carney later said Mr Obama had assured Mrs Merkel that her phone was not being listened to now and would not be in the future.

However, his statement left open the question of whether calls had been listened to in the past.

US defends drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen

Drone warfare has become common in the US pursuit of al-Qaeda and the Taliban

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The US has defended its drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan, saying it takes "extraordinary care" to ensure they comply with international law.

The unmanned raids targeting terror suspects were a "course of action least likely to result in the loss of innocent life", the White House said.

It follows allegations by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International of the unlawful killing of civilians.

Pakistan's PM on Tuesday urged the US to end drone attacks in his country.

Speaking at the start of a visit to the US, Nawaz Sharif said the attacks violated his country's sovereignty.

He added that the raids were a "major irritant" in relations with Washington.

Drone warfare has become common in the US pursuit of al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Few details are known about these covert operations, which are directed remotely from control rooms, often on other continents.

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Senior militant leaders have been killed but civilians have also died, causing outrage in Pakistan, where many assert that the strikes cause indiscriminate deaths and injuries.

'Strongly disagree'

In a new report released on Tuesday, Amnesty said it reviewed nine of 45 recent drone strikes in North Waziristan and found a number of victims were unarmed.

In a separate report looking at six US attacks in Yemen, Human Rights Watch says two of them killed civilians at random, violating international law.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Washington was "reviewing the reports carefully".

"To the extent these reports claim that the US has acted contrary to international law, we would strongly disagree.

"The administration has repeatedly emphasised the extraordinary care that we take to make sure counter-terrorism actions are in accordance with all applicable law," he said.

In the report, Will I Be Next? US Drone Strikes in Pakistan, Amnesty called on the US to disclose information and the legal basis for strikes carried out in Pakistan.

It said US President Barack Obama's pledge earlier this year to increase transparency around drone strikes had not been fulfilled.

It called on the governments of Pakistan, Australia, Germany and the UK to investigate drone strikes or other abuses that may constitute human rights violations.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch said in its report that six US drone attacks in Yemen had killed 82 people, including at least 57 civilians.

It added that two of the strikes killed innocent people indiscriminately.

Last week, a UN investigation found that US drone strikes had killed at least 400 civilians in Pakistan, far more than the US has ever acknowledged.

UN special rapporteur Ben Emmerson accused the US of challenging international legal norms by advocating the use of lethal force outside war zones.

A controversial aspect of the US policy is that drone attacks are carried out not by the military but by the Central Intelligence Agency.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has argued in favour of the policy, saying that the US will continue to defend itself.

President Obama has insisted the strategy was "kept on a very tight leash" and that without the drones, the US would have had to resort to "more intrusive military action".

Six Florida prisoners tried to escape with fake papers

Joseph Jenkins (left) and Charles Walker (right) may have been on their way to Atlanta

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At least six Florida prisoners have tried to escape using forged release documents, officials say, including two murderers who were successful.

Joseph Jenkins and Charles Walker were freed on 27 September and 8 October respectively with bogus papers reducing their life sentences to 15 years.

They were captured on Saturday at a motel in Panama City, Florida. Police are investigating if they had help.

The mistake has led Florida to change its policy for early prisoner releases.

Police said they were looking at several suspects who may have aided Jenkins and Walker, but have made no arrests.

Florida law enforcement commissioner Gerald Bailey said the recaptured prisoners were not helping the investigation.

"They've lawyered up," Mr Bailey said. "Should they choose to co-operate, we will have the answers we need. The answers we demand sooner than later."

Police said someone was coming to the motel to take Jenkins and Walker to Atlanta in the neighbouring state of Georgia.

Investigators were also reviewing a tablet computer and mobile phone found at the motel for evidence.

Mr Bailey said there was no indication so far that anyone in the corrections department helped the two convicted killers with their escape, but investigators were still looking at any possibilities.

Jenkins was released from a prison in the north of the state on 27 September after a clerk's office processed paperwork with a judge's forged signature.

Walker was let out of the same prison on 8 October. Both men registered as felons with a local jail several days after their release - a requirement for former prisoners re-entering society.

Mr Bailey said Jenkins had tried to escape using bogus documents before.

Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry, whose signature was faked to released the men, signed an order on Monday that prohibits judicial orders from being accepted at drop-off boxes, and requires assistants to keep of a record of all orders that would change a prison sentence.

Syria opposition urged to join 'Geneva II' talks

William Hague: "We have agreed a number of important steps"

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Syria's moderate opposition should "commit itself fully" to planned peace talks, the Friends of Syria group of countries has said.

The talks in Geneva next month offered Syrians the "best hope to improve their lives", UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

Ministers have gathered in London to meet Syrian opposition officials.

A key group in Syria's main opposition alliance has threatened to boycott the planned meeting, dubbed Geneva II.

Mr Hague's US counterpart John Kerry said he believed and hoped the meeting would go ahead as planned but that Western countries could not control whether all parties would attend.

Addressing the opposition, Mr Kerry said: "You can win at the negotiating table what it may take a long time and a lot of... loss of life to win on the battlefield."

Ahmad Jarba, head of the main opposition grouping, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), said the coalition would decide at a meeting next week whether to participate.

The SNC has previously been unwilling to talk to representatives of Mr Assad's government.

Mr Hague said the process envisaged by the Friends of Syria involved the establishment "by mutual consent" of "a transitional governing body with full executive powers".

Participants at the first round of talks in June 2012 (Geneva I) had sought to end the civil war by getting Damascus and the opposition to choose a transitional government.

The opposition says it is vital that aid be supplied to besieged areas

Mr Hague reaffirmed the view of the Friends of Syria group - Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States - that Geneva II must be about a political transition in Syria away from the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Any transitional government could only be agreed with the consent of the SNC, and therefore Mr Assad would play no role in it, Mr Hague added.

Mr Kerry said he expected representatives of the government to attend any talks and to "negotiate in good faith".

Mr Hague and Mr Kerry also pledged further backing for Syria's moderate opposition, aimed at bolstering them in the face of rising influence extremists from power in the war-gripped country.

Safe corridors

Mr Jarba also spoke to reporters after meeting, outlining the steps that he considered necessary for the success of the Geneva talks.

He called for safe corridors to be established to deliver humanitarian aid to opposition-held areas currently besieged by government forces.

Mr Jarba also called for women and children he said were in regime custody to be released.

He also expressed opposition to the idea of Iran having an active role in the process, accusing Iran of having tens of thousands of militiamen active in Syria.

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Iran as yet has no role in Geneva II, but Mr Hague earlier told the BBC he was trying to use new positive diplomatic relations with Iran to encourage it to play a "more constructive role".

Also on Tuesday, the UN Special Co-ordinator for the mission to destroy Syria's chemical weapons, Sigrid Kaag, said in a statement that to date, the Syrian government had "fully co-operated" in the mission's work.

Western officials have been buoyed by the initial results of the chemical disarmament effort, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says.

But he adds that they are painfully aware that the recent chemical deal has done nothing to alter the course of the civil war or to reduce the burgeoning humanitarian catastrophe in and around Syria.

Mr Assad gave no indication of being prepared to stand down

'No obstacles'

On Monday, Mr Assad told Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television that he saw no reason why he could not run for the presidency again.

"Personally, I don't see any obstacles to being nominated to run in the next presidential elections," he was quoted as saying by the channel.

Mr Assad told the channel that his government would take part in the conference without preconditions, but suggested the prospects that it would reach a settlement were, at present, dim.

"No time has been set, and the factors are not yet in place if we want to succeed," he told al-Mayadeen.

"Which forces are taking part? What relation do these forces have with the Syrian people? Do these forces represent the Syrian people, or do they represent the states that invented them?" he asked.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are key funders of opposition forces in Syria, including, it is believed, hardline Islamist groups.

More than 100,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began in 2011.

The UN estimates that by the end of 2014 more than eight million Syrians could have been forced from their homes, including 5.2 million who will have fled the country.