Syria’s foreign minister has accused America of trying to create a “negative climate” at the second round of peace talks as US secretary of state John Kerry blamed “the Assad regime’s obstruction” for making the tense dialogue even more difficult.

Around 300 more people have been evacuated from besieged rebel-held neighbourhoods of Syria’s third-largest city, Homs, a Syrian Red Crescent official said.

Aid teams will try to evacuate wounded and sick civilians and those who want to leave rebel-held areas in the embattled Syrian city of Homs today, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.