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Over 100,000 killed in Syria conflict: UN boss

Iran Press TV

Thu Jul 25, 2013 4:1PM GMT

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria since the outbreak of foreign-sponsored militancy some 28 months ago.

Ban made the remark at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry at the UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday.

'More than 100,000 people have been killed, millions of people have either been displaced or become refugees in neighboring countries," the UN chief said.

'We have to bring this to an end, the military and violent actions must be stopped by both parties and it is thus imperative to have a peace conference in Geneva as soon as possible,' he added.

Russia and the United States agreed in Moscow on May 7 to convene an international conference, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting held in June 2012.

Ban has said he would like the conference in September.

In the press conference, Ban and Kerry stressed the importance of political solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria, both rejecting any military solution to the conflict.

Kerry also told reporters that there is 'enormous levels of suffering, suffering that is growing by the day which requires all of us to work even harder to try to bring about peace negotiations.'

'There is no military solution to Syria, there is only a political solution," Kerry added.

Kerry also said he talked to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday and that the two remained committed to making Geneva II happen.

On July 16, UN Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said during a briefing to the United Nations Security Council that 5,000 people a month are dying in Syria.

The unrest in Syria erupted in March 2011. A very large number of the militants operating inside Syria are reportedly foreign nationals.

According to reports, the West and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey - are supporting the militants inside Syria.

SAB/KA