U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, talks to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon prior to the Syrian peace talks in Montreux, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Ban made a rare effort at solo diplomacy this week when he invited Iran to join this week’s Syria peace talks, but it backfired, raising questions about the effectiveness of a U.N. secretary-general better known _ and often criticized _ for his reserved and scripted style. (AP Photo/Arnd Wiegmann, Pool)