NEW YORK
Regarding Syria, Herve Ladsous told a news briefing at UN Headquarters in New York, "The main focus right now rests on supporting the efforts of the Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi, to help Syria achieve a cessation of violence and ultimately bring about a political process that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people."
UN News Center said, "Syria has been wracked by violence, with an estimated 20,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 20 months ago. Some 2.5 million people are also in dire need of humanitarian assistance, according to UN estimates."
"In April, the Council established the UN Supervision Mission in Syria to monitor a ceasefire arrangement, amongst other tasks. Its mandate was extended for 30 days in July, but the Council decided not to renew it in August due to the escalating violence," it said.
"It was obvious that the conditions did not allow the mission to operate effectively," Ladsous told reporters, adding that depending on changes on the ground and on the decisions made by the Council, the UN peacekeeping arm would be ready to assist further.
