UN chief calls for political solution on Syria at G20 Summit

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged G20 nation leaders at their summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg to find a political solution to the “unprecedented” humanitarian crisis in Syria.

At a Friday morning meeting on the sidelines of the summit, the UN chief called on world leaders to convene as soon as possible the international conference on Syria in Geneva (known as “Geneva 2”), with the participation of senior Russian, US and UN officials.

Secretary General Ban said the humanitarian crisis in Syria is unprecedented in scale in recent history and the world should do everything to put an end to the sufferings of the Syrian people. He urged the participants to study the possible options for preventing further militarization of the conflict.

Russia and the US agreed in early May to hold an international conference aimed at facilitating a solution through political dialogue to the Syrian crisis. The US postponed the conference in late June.