World powers to push Russia on Syria solution Mr Lavrov insisted on Thursday that no compromise had been reached but admitted that a "transitional period" was needed in Syria. As he prepared to meet Mrs Clinton on Friday, his ministry issued a statement saying it was committed to "bringing a halt to the bloodshed and achieving a peaceful resolution to the crisis." It said the Geneva conference, called by Mr Annan, was a "positive step" which should be a "consolidation of foreign powers" efforts" to support Mr Annan's initiative and ensure "a transfer from armed conflict to dialogue and a political process." Fighting in Syria has intensified in recent days, encroaching on Damascus. Residents of Douma, long the city's most restive district, said they had been forced to cower in basements as the most relentless tank and artillery assault of the 16-month uprising entered its second day. Scores of people are believed to have been killed in the suburb. Video footage showing dozens of corpses, shrouded in blankets and white sheets. The Syrian president's hold on power is increasingly being challenged across the country. With more than 1,000 fatalities reported in the past 10 days, even Mr Assad has been forced to concede that Syria is now mired in a civil war. But it is the growing precariousness of his hold over the capital, where the regime's authority was once relatively untroubled, that will be worrying Mr Assad the most. Although Douma has long been the government's most vulnerable spot, the rebels have never been able to establish more than a tenuous foothold in the district and have been driven from it in the past. That no longer appears to be the case. Whereas once they would have retreated in the face of the regime's superior firepower, there was no imminent sign on Friday that they were close to being dislodged from their positions, despite suffering heavy losses. For the rebels, holding Douma has more than symbolic value as the district affords them a launch-pad to strike elsewhere in the capital with increasing boldness. This week, suspected rebels planted two bombs on judges" cars outside the main court complex in the heart of Damascus, demonstrating their growing reach.