UN, League of Arab States deeply; frustrated about Syrian crisis

USPA News - The United Nations (UN) and the League of Arab States on Saturday called on the international community to act in order to end the Syrian conflict. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Joint Special Representative of the world organization and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi, met on Saturday in Mt.

Pelerin, Switzerland, where they expressed deep frustration at the failure of the international community to act with unity to end Syria`s conflict and reach a political solution. Both leaders also regretted that the Government and the armed opposition forces have become "increasingly reckless with human life," said Ban`s spokesperson. Ban and Brahimi discussed several topics during their meeting, in which they reaffirmed their conviction that the international community should remain focused on pursuing a political solution to arrive at a peaceful, democratic Syria that protects the right of all of its communities. In addition, following encouraging statements by the Government and the opposition indicating their willingness to engage in dialogue, they said the UN would be prepared to facilitate dialogue. The leaders also emphasized the importance of ensuring accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the UN, up to 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011 and more than 900,000 people have fled to neighboring countries. In addition, 2 million have been internally displaced and over 4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.