Russia, China are no-shows

 Neither Russia nor China attended Friday’s conference in Tunis.

 Both nations have called for “dialogue” to resolve the Syrian crisis and are opposed to any international steps that could lead to foreign military intervention in Syria, where Russia has considerable business and strategic interests. Russia is also keen to not lose its last major ally in the Arab world.

 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton denounced the stance taken by Russia and China as “despicable.”