(ROUGH CUT -- NO REPORTER NARRATION)br br Foreign ministers from Western powers and Arab countries are attending a meeting convened by international mediator Kofi Annan in Geneva to try and forge a common strategy to end the 16 month-old conflict in Syria, but differences over the fate of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad may thwart them.br br British Foreign Minister William Hague urged Russia and China to agree with Western powers on a political transition plan for Syria, but said the talks would be very difficult.br br Western powers and Syria's opposition say Assad should not be a part of any future government while Russia and China say there should be no such condition imposed on Syria from outside the country.