Attack kills dozens in Syria as talks begin in Vienna

(Vatican Radio) A missile barrage slammed into a suburb of Damascus, killing at least 40 people and wounding many others in the latest government attack on the rebel-held area, opposition activists said on Friday.

The attack came as the international conference aimed at ending the Syrian conflict was getting underway in Vienna, Austria. With 19 foreign ministers attending, including those from Iran and Saudi Arabia, there was hope the meeting would achieve a small breakthrough.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters ``I am hopeful that we can find a way forward'', adding ``It is very difficult.''

There were conflicting reports about the attack in Douma. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committess group said government forces fired more than 11 missiles at a market, killing at least 40.

Both organizations and a third Douma-based activist network were reporting dozens more wounded in the mid-morning attack.

The Syrian National Council, the main Western-backed opposition group in exile, blamed Russian airstrikes for the ``massacre'' in Douma which it said killed 55 civilians. It said it was the second deadly attack in the past 24 hours after Russian airstrikes bombed the main hospital in Douma a day earlier.

The area is a frequent target of deadly government airstrikes and barrel bombs dropped from helicopters.

Amateur videos posted on the Internet showed images of young men sprawled on the ground of what appears to be a market.