President Donald Trump meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in New York.

:: The leaders of the United States and France on Monday insisted UN-backed talks on Syria’s future were the only way forward, after a no-show by the Damascus government.

Presidents Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone and agreed that the talks scheduled to open Tuesday in Geneva were the “only legitimate forum for achieving a political solution in Syria,” the White House said.

“Last night we received a message that the government would not travel to Geneva today. Naturally we hope, and indeed expect the government will be on its way shortly,” UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura told the UN Security Council on Monday.