U.N. says Syrian opposition suspends formal talks, stays in Geneva

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. Syria mediator said on Monday that the main opposition would no longer attend talks at the United Nations in Geneva in protest against the worsening situation on the ground, but said it would remain in the Swiss city for informal discussions. Staffan de Mistura said that the gap between the High Negotiations Committee and that of the Syrian government remained "clearly wide" although both sides were talking about political transition. "On Friday we will take stock of the discussions, review what we have come up with, having learned from every side their own positions, and then decide on how and when how to move forward on what is expected anyway to be a series of discussions on and off in order to focus on political transition," he told reporters. (Reporting by John Irish and Tom Miles; editing by Stephanie Nebehay)