sent aopean union has special envoy to assist with the negotiations. he is under no illusions about the scale of the task. >> we need a cessation of hostilities. that must happen now. people are suffering and dying here and we cannot afford to tolerate people suffering in that way while politicians haggle in a nice hotel. >> the conflict centers on a power struggle between the president and his former deputy. it may have an ethnic dimension as well. the priority is to agree to a cease-fire. >> in iraq, militants linked to al qaeda have seized full control of the city of falluja. -- fallujah. video footage posted online appears to show rebels taking over a highway in fallujah. the sunni muslim militants stormed the city on monday. residents have fled the city. in neighboring syria, fighting between rebel factions opposed to the rule of bashar al-assad has intensified. moderate groups allied to the free syrian army have launched attacks on the al qaeda linked groups in the north west of the country. battles have been reported in , with and other province