UN chief urges both sides in Syria conflict to take steps now to help peace conference succeed

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging the Syrian government and opposition to help the upcoming Geneva peace conference succeed by taking steps to stop the violence, provide access for desperately needed humanitarian aid and release detainees.

Calling the war in Syria “the world’s biggest threat to international peace and security,” Ban told reporters at U.N. headquarters Monday that both sides must also start taking steps to return hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people to their homes before the Jan. 22 conference.

“At long last and for the first time, the Syrian government and opposition will meet at the negotiating table instead of the battlefield,” Ban said.

“This is a mission of hope,” he said. The only way to peace “is through an inclusive Syrian-led process.”