Ban and Arab League chief confirm support for their joint representative on Syria crisis

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Nabil Elaraby, today expressed unreserved support for the efforts of their Joint Special Representative in helping to find a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi participated in the telephone call between the two men which was termed an “in-depth discussion” on the situation, according to information provided by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

Today’s call comes amid intensive consultations carried out by Mr. Brahimi with Mr. Ban and other UN officials in New York on ending the mounting death toll and worsening humanitarian suffering in the Middle East country.

In those consultations, both Mr. Ban and Mr. Brahimi expressed deep disappointment at the appalling levels of killing and destruction carried out by both the Government and the opposition and fuelled by outside powers providing weaponry to both sides.

They also reportedly expressed their concern over the lack of a unified international posture that could lead to a political transition as agreed at Geneva last June.

More than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in early 2011.

Recent months have witnessed an escalation in the conflict, which is now in its 23rd month and has left more than 4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.