Top UN Officials Urge Unified International Action To End Syria Crisis

Top officials at the United Nations on Thursday urged the international community for united action to end the ongoing crisis in Syria, noting that continued violence and atrocities against civilians show the Syrian government's lack of commitment to UN-backed peace plan for resolving the crisis.

Addressing a UN General Assembly on Thursday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted that the international community and Syria were currently at a "pivotal moment." Noting that Syria and the region as a whole could "quickly move from tipping point to breaking point," Ban cautioned that the possibility of a "full-scale civil war" breaking out in the Middle East nation "are imminent and real

The meeting came in the wake of the recent massacre in the Syrian village of Houla, where 108 people, including 49 children, were massacred allegedly by Syrian soldiers last week. In addition, media reports quoted opposition activists as saying late Wednesday that government troops and allied militiamen massacred at least 78 people in the village of Mazraat al-Qubeir, located near the city of Hama.

In his address, General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser urged member nations to quickly unite behind Annan's efforts, and said: "The lives of tens of thousands of Syrians, and the stability of the region, are at stake. The credibility of this Organization is also at stake."