New York - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for an early end to the Syrian crisis, while expressing concern for the deterioration of the conflict in the passing year of 2013.
Ban made the statement when he was addressing a year-end press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York City, summing up the work of the world body in the outgoing year and touching on its major challenges in the coming year.
"The people of Syria cannot afford another year, another month, even another day of brutality and destruction," Ban said, referring to the Syrian crisis and subsequent conflict that broke out in March 2011.
More than 100 000 people were killed and the UN estimates that some 6.3 million people have been internally displaced since the conflict broke out in March 2011. More than two million Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries, including Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday appealed for US $6.5 million for Syria and its neighbours to help 16 million people next year, and the money requested for Syria was the largest UN appeal even for a single crisis.
The UN secretary-general also said that he would soon issue invitations to the International Conference on Syria, scheduled for 22 January in Geneva, Switzerland, which is also known as the Geneva II in a bid to bring an end to the 30-month Syrian crisis.
"Everyone involved must do everything in their power to help the conference succeed," Ban said. "I appeal to the Syrian authorities to end the violence and provide humanitarian access."
"The humanitarian situation continues to worsen. We have started distributing winter aid to help people cope with the harsh conditions that are taking hold."
He also urged states and organisations with "influence on the Syrian sides to help them prepare for constructive engagement". – SAnews.gov.za-Xinhua
