UN chief meets P5 on Syria

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday met senior diplomats from the five permanent members of the Security Council, also known as the P5, to discuss the latest situation in Syria.

"The secretary-general invited the five permanent members of the Security Council to an informal meeting, for discussions on Syria," Xinhua quoted UN spokesman Martin Nesirky as saying at a daily news briefing.

"They discussed possible diplomatic moves to end the crisis."

During the meeting, Ban "briefed them on the latest developments relating to the chemical weapons investigation mission," Nesirky said, referring to the UN probe into the alleged use of chemical weapons in fightings in Syria March 19.

Ban set up the UN investigation team last month at a formal request of the Syrian government.

He recently appealed to Damascus to allow the UN team into the country without delay or conditions for on-site investigations.

Nesirky said Ban and the P5 diplomats "also discussed the ever-worsening humanitarian situation inside Syria and the neighboring countries, and international efforts to alleviate it".

The Syrian crisis broke out in March 2011 between government forces and the armed opposition. The UN is working towards a diplomatic solution to the prolonged crisis, which has so far killed some 70,000 people.