UNSC must prevent Syria spiralling out of control: UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed to the five permanent members of the Security Council to break the current deadlock on reported use of chemical weapons in Syria and prevent the situation spiralling out of control in the war-torn country.

"I have also been closely following developments in the Security Council and regret that the Council has so far been unable to reach agreement on this issue, Guterres said in a statement.

"Let us not forget that, ultimately, our efforts must be about ending the terrible suffering of the Syrian people," he added.

Guterres said that he called the ambassadors of the five permanent Council members China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States on Wednesday to reiterate his "deep concern about the risks of the current impasse" and stressed the need to "avoid the situation spiraling out of control."