Ban, Hollande slam Syria

Speaking at a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande in Paris, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the Syrian regime to declare an immediate truce to bring an end to the conflict. "It is unbearable for the [Syrian] people to continue like this. That is why I have conveyed to the Syrian government a strong message that they should immediately declare a unilateral ceasefire," Ban said. Ban also urged "the opposition forces to agree to this unilateral ceasefire when and if the Syrian government declares it," and called on countries supplying arms to either side to stop in order to ease the suffering of the Syrian people. For his part, Hollande reiterated that there have been very serious incidents at the border with Turkey. "An escalation could have been possible and was only avoided because Turkey showed restraint, but for how long?" Hollande asked.