After months of diplomatic wrangling, recriminations and arm-twisting the main political players in Syria's brutal civil war which has been raging for almost three years, claiming the lives of well over 100,000 people, agreed to meet in Montreux on Lake Geneva to hammer out a framework to end the crisis. Dubbed 'Geneva II' and building on an earlier conference in Geneva in June 2012, the talks are bringing together the various warring parties, the UN, the Arab League and foreign ministers from over 40 countries. With all parties so far obdurately holding their ground, international mediators are working hard to find common ground, including a lasting ceasefire and the creation of a transitional government. Mark Henley has been following the talks closely, from the press conferences to the press centre, and has moved from Montreux, where the first round was held on 22 January.