At his first press conference this year, Ban characterized the humanitarian situation in Syria as "dire" and "getting worse."

 

　　"The use of heavy weapons in urban centers is causing terrible damage, with whole towns and neighborhoods emptied or destroyed. Sexual violence is widespread. I want to stress the need for accountability and justice for the crimes we have seen - and for crimes that could still take place if already high sectarian tensions explode into mass reprisals and killings."

 

　　Ban called again for all states to stop sending arms to either side in Syria and said he is working with Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi on his diplomatic efforts.

 

　　According to the UN, around 10-thousand Syrian refugees crossed into Jordan during the past week.

 

　　The total number of refugees in Jordan is more than 300-thousand.