“The Secretary-General welcomes, therefore, President Obama’s decision to take time to further explore this diplomatic opportunity to achieve this crucially important objective,” a UN spokesman said in New York.

Mr. Ban’s statement follows a flurry of diplomatic activity noted by the media in the past 72 hours, following a reported Russian proposal for Damascus to surrender its chemical weapons and place them under international control. In the meantime, evidence collected by a UN team probing possible chemical weapons use in Syria on 21 August is being examined by laboratories in Europe.

In a national address last night, US President Barack Obama cited “encouraging signs in recent days” and announced that he was sending US Secretary of State John Kerry to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Thursday for further talks, and that he would continue discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council – along with China France and the United Kingdom – which has been deadlocked over a solution to the 30 month crisis in Syria.

The UN chief welcomed the efforts by the Russian Federation to advance a possible agreement. “He hopes the US-Russian meetings later this week will be productive in moving toward a process for addressing the Syrian chemical weapons threat which all parties will be committed to,” the spokesperson said.

“The confirmed use of chemical weapons would be an outrageous crime for which there must be accountability and determined efforts to prevent any recurrence,” the statement said.

Addressing world leaders at a working dinner, Mr. Ban urged the leaders of the Permanent Five members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States – as well as from some of the Council’s non-permanent members to “discharge their responsibility fully and for the sake of the people of Syria.”

He also reminded the Council members that they have a “collective responsibility to mankind” to act, but reiterated that as they debate courses of action, any decision “should be taken within the framework of the UN Charter, as a matter of principle.”

Highlighting the human toll of the conflict, Mr. Ban reiterated that more than 100,000 people have died, 4.25 million people have been displaced within the country, and at least another two million are now refugees.

He urgently asked the leaders gathered to fill the nearly $4.4 billion gap for humanitarian and refugee efforts in Syria and neighbouring countries – particularly Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey – as well as in North African. All of which had been “generous in hosting Syrian refugees.”

Mr. Brahimi, the Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States for Syrian, arrived in the Russian city earlier today at Mr. Ban’s request.

The UN chief said that he had asked Mr. Brahimi to join him in St. Petersburg to press for the early convening of an international meeting on Syria to be held in Geneva with participation of senior Russian, United States and UN officials.

Mr. Brahimi said that the Syrian crisis had reached such an “urgent” stage that the Secretary-General thought it might be one of the questions to be addressed either by the G20 itself or on the margins of the summit.

“I’m sure it would be taken up in all the meetings the Secretary-General is going to have,” Mr. Brahimi told UNTV, adding that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov might organize a special meeting on Syria.

Meanwhile, the biomedical and environmental samples collected by the by Swedish scientist Dr. Ake Sellstrom and his team at sites in Syria where chemical weapons were allegedly used on 21 August, have now arrived at four laboratories in Europe for analyses.

Mr. Ban said scientists are working “around the clock” to ensure a rapid result but one that also respects the highest professional standards and without compromising its integrity.

Once results are available, Mr. Ban noted that he would report them “promptly” to the Security Council and all 193 UN Member States.

In particular, Ban shared with Ashton his concern about the continued detentions in the country, where the military earlier this month removed Morsy from the presidency amid widespread protests in which dozens of people were killed and wounded. The Constitution was then suspended and an interim Government set up.

Noting that it was welcome and important that Ashton had seen Morsy, the Secretary-Genera reiterated his call to release the former president and senior Muslim Brotherhood officials, according to a read-out of the conversation issued by Ban’s spokesperson.

They stressed the importance of an inclusive political process which would take into account views and aspirations of all parts of Egypt’s political spectrum, it added.

Egypt has been undergoing a democratic transition following the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak two years ago in the wake of mass protests similar to those seen in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa as part of the “Arab Spring.”

Ban and the High Representative also discussed the Middle East peace process, with the Secretary-General expressing his hope for the success of the current efforts to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together at the negotiating table, and the UN’s readiness to work with the EU and other partners in the diplomatic Quartet to support the process.

In a telephone call with Egyptian Interim Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, Ban called on the interim authorities to assume full responsibility for the peaceful management of the demonstrations and to ensure the protection of all Egyptians, regardless of party affiliation.

“The Secretary-General renewed his calls for the interim authorities to launch a genuinely inclusive, peaceful political process for going forward,” according to a readout of the conversation provided by a UN spokesperson in New York.

“He underlined that with every new death this long-term reconciliation becomes harder,” the readout continued.

During the phone conversation, Ban also appealed to all Egyptian leaders to urge their supporters to show restraint. He urged Egyptians to put the interest of their country above individual, group and political interests in order to start a meaningful reconciliation process.

The UN chief also reiterated his call that deposed president Mohammed Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders to be released by the interim authorities, or to have their cases reviewed in the fullest transparency.

Ban also discussed the situation in Egypt with the Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Qatar, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. In these telephone discussions, Mr. Ban shared his deep alarm about the situation in Egypt, and the unacceptable loss of life over the past two days, according to his spokesperson.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay added her voice to the widespread condemnation of two days of violence and urged for a second time in a month that “credible, independent and prompt” investigation be launched into the large-scale killings in which the security forces appear to be heavily implicated and the responsible brought to justice.

Citing the latest “uncompromising announcement” from Ministry of Interior Mohammad Ibrahim – who vowed today that security forces would deal “firmly and strongly” with anyone who threatens national stability – Pillay warned that the confrontational approach by both sides “is leading to disaster.”

“Despite all the warnings, all the calls for restraint, more than 150 Egyptians have died during protests over the past month, not just in Cairo but in other cities as well,” she said in a statement issued by her office (OHCHR).

“I fear for the future of Egypt if the military and other security forces, as well as some demonstrators, continue to take such a confrontational and aggressive approach. Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood have the right to protest peacefully like anyone else,” Pillay stressed.

The High Commissioner said she was extremely alarmed by “the increasingly dangerous polarization that is gripping the country.”

“Egypt stands at a crossroads. The future of this great country that gave so much to civilization, depends on how its citizens and authorities act over the following days and months,” she noted.

“I urge all parties to set aside their grievances and engage in urgent national dialogue with the aim of restoring constitutional order through free and democratic elections and to end the violence and all hate speech,” Pillay said.

“Given what has happened in recent days, further protests are inevitable, and the onus is clearly on both the security forces and the protestors to ensure there is no repetition of yesterday’s terrible and deeply tragic events,” she cautioned.

“There is an urgent need for the violence to end. Far too many lives have been lost already and the conflict has generated a huge and heart-rending humanitarian crisis,” Mr. Ban said as he addressed reporters in Geneva.

“The US-Russian initiative to bring Syrian parties to the negotiating table is the best chance for a lasting solution that will deliver peace and save lives,” he added. “It is essential that we do everything possible to ensure that this conference takes place as soon as possible. I urge the international community to fully commit to a political process.”

In May, following talks in Moscow between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry, the two countries announced they would work together to achieve a political solution to the Syria crisis, and agreed to convene an international conference aimed at achieving this goal.

However, a date for the conference has not yet been set and talks are continuing on the best time for it to be held, who should participate, how it should be structured and some of the questions to be discussed.

It is expected that both the Government side and the opposition groups will send their delegations, Mr. Ban said, while noting that there is a question of who will represent the Syrian people.

He said that the opposition are expected to send a delegation that can “really represent the voices and positions” of opposition groups. “We also expect that the Government delegation will also be fully empowered so that they can fully engage in negotiations with the Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.”

There is also the issue of the scope of participation, particularly Iran and Saudi Arabia. “Member States have not been able to agree on whether and if their voices needed to be heard and in what way,” said Mr. Ban.

More than 93,000 people have been killed, and 1.5 million more have fled to neighbouring countries, since fighting began in March 2011 between the Syrian Government and opposition groups seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad.

“The people of Syria want peace and hope. Yet all they see is death upon death. All they hear is talks after talks,” said Mr. Ban.

“People are dying. Families are fleeing. Syria’s fires are spreading. They may soon engulf the whole region,” he warned.

“I once again call on all those with influence to hear the cry of the Syrian people and the call of history: Act and act now.”

Stressing the need for “effectively coordinated international support for Somalia’s Federal Government,” the Council structured the mandate of the new mission as follows: providing UN ‘good offices’ functions to support peace and reconciliation; assisting the Government and the existing African Union peacekeeping force known as AMISOM with advice on peacebuilding and State building; assisting in coordinating international support; helping build capacity in human rights and the rule of law; and monitoring and helping prevent human rights violations.

Somalia has been torn asunder by factional fighting since 1991 but has recently made progress towards stability. In 2011, Islamist Al-Shabaab insurgents retreated from Mogadishu and last year new Government institutions emerged, as the country ended a transitional phase toward setting up a permanent, democratically-elected Government.

Noting that progress, the Council’s decision follows its adoption on 6 March of a resolution extending for another year the mandate AMISOM and partially lifting the 20-year arms embargo imposed on the country. By that text, it also agreed with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the 15-year-old United Nations Political Mission in Somalia (UNPOS) had fulfilled its mandate and should “be dissolved and replaced by a new expanded special political mission as soon as possible.”

Secretary-General Ban followed-up by sending an assessment mission to Somalia and the region from 17 to 29 March, led by the Department of Political Affairs. According to a letter sent by Mr. Ban to the Council summing up the assessment, the core function of the new United Nations mission would be to act as an enabler, assisting the Federal Government of Somalia to create the political and strategic environment in which peacebuilding could proceed.

Critically, noting the Somali Government’s request a single “door to knock on”, the Secretary-General said in his letter that the new mission “will be a platform enabling coherent, integrated support to Somalia by the United Nations system, as well as a stronger strategic partnership and collaboration with AMISOM across all areas of peacebuilding”.

By the resolution adopted, the Council decided that the new mission, UNSOM, will be headed by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and will be based in the capital, Mogadishu, with further deployment throughout the country as requested by the Government.

The resolution also says that “with immediate effect,” all appropriate activities of the United Nations Country Team should be fully coordinated with the head of the new mission. It also requests the Special Representative to “align closely” and coordinate the activities of UNSOM with those of the Somali Government, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Beyond its focus on political matters, the Council also expresses concern at the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somali and its impact on the people of the country. It commends the efforts of the United Nations humanitarian agencies and other relief organizations and aid workers in delivering life-saving assistance to vulnerable populations.

“A credible and comprehensive inquiry requires full access to the sites where chemical weapons are alleged to have been used. I again urge the Syrian authorities to allow the investigation to proceed without delay and without any conditions,”  Ban told reporters ahead of a meeting at UN Headquarters with Ake Sellstrom.

Sellstrom, a Swedish scientist, was appointed a month ago to head the fact-finding mission, which was launched following a formal request from the Syrian Government. The initial focus of the probe will be an incident involving the alleged use of chemical weapons in Kfar Dael region in Khan Al-Asal area in Aleppo governorate.

The fact-finding team has been on stand-by and is ready to deploy within 24 to 48 hours, with an advance team positioned in Cyprus.

“This is a crucial moment in our efforts to get the team on the ground to carry out its important task,” said  Ban. “I take seriously the recent intelligence report of the United States about the use of chemical weapons in Syria. On-site activities are essential if the United Nations is to be able to establish the facts and clear up all the doubts surrounding this issue.”

He noted that even while waiting for Syrian consent to enter the country, Sellstrom and his colleagues have been doing what they can to gather and analyze available information. These activities include possible visits to relevant capitals.

In a separate message for the Day, Mr. Ban urged the international community to intensify efforts to rid the world of chemical weapons, along with all other weapons of mass destruction.

“This year’s observance is especially timely, as the spectre of chemical weapons is once again casting its ominous shadow,” he said, adding that the allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria serve as a reminder of the continuing importance of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

“The targeting of diplomatic missions and their staff is not acceptable and never justifiable,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General is confident that the Libyan authorities will take every action to ensure that the perpetrators of this attack are brought to justice and that adequate protection for diplomatic premises is provided,” he added.

According to media reports, Libyan officials said that a car bomb that exploded in front of the Embassy in downtown Tripoli this morning injured two French guards and destroyed much of the diplomatic compound.

Through today’s message, Mr. Ban sent his sympathy to the victims and their families, and affirmed that the UN would support efforts to improve security and legal order in the country.

“The United Nations remains committed to assisting the Libyan Government and people with the process of building a democratic state and affirming the rule of law,” he said.

In a separate statement, the members of the Security Council condemned all acts of violence against diplomatic representatives, which, they said, “endanger innocent lives and seriously impede the normal work of such representatives and officials.”

Through the statement, read to correspondents by Eugène-Richard Gasana of Rwanda, which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for April, Council members reaffirmed that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, underlining the need to bring the perpetrators of such acts to justice.

An 11 September 2012 attack on the United States Consulate in Benghazi, Libya resulted in the deaths of four US diplomats, as well as Libyan employees of the Consulate.

The resolution containing the text of the treaty, which regulates the international trade in conventional arms, received 154 votes in favour. Three Member States – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Iran and Syria – voted against the decision, while 23 countries abstained.

Tuesday’s  action follows the failure last Thursday of the Final UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to reach an agreement among all 193 Member States on a treaty text at the conclusion of its two-week session.

The adoption of the treaty was welcomed by several UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who hailed it as a powerful new tool in efforts to prevent grave human rights abuses, and added that it will provide much-needed momentum for other global disarmament and non-proliferation efforts.

“It is a historic diplomatic achievement – the culmination of long-held dreams and many years of effort,” he said in a statement issued after the Assembly’s action. “This is a victory for the world’s people.”

Once the text was rejected Thursday evening, a Member State introduced a General Assembly draft resolution that same evening, according to the Office of the President of the Assembly.

Unlike in the Conference, where all 193 Member States had to agree on the final text, the Assembly needed only a simple majority, or 97 votes, to pass the text. The treaty will enter into force 90 days after ratified by the 50th signatory.

The treaty regulates all conventional arms within the following categories: battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms and light weapons.

“I am deeply troubled. As Secretary-General, it is my duty to prevent war and to pursue peace. It is also my responsibility to state that the current crisis has already gone too far,” Mr. Ban said at a news conference during his visit to Andorra.

“Nuclear threats are not a game. Aggressive rhetoric and military posturing only result in counter-actions, and fuel fear and instability.”

Nuclear threats are not a game. Aggressive rhetoric and military posturing only result in counter-actions, and fuel fear and instability.

Mr. Ban called for dialogue and negotiations, underlining that this is “the only way to resolve the crisis,” and expressed his readiness to help all the parties involved to this end.

In February, the DPRK conducted its third, long threatened nuclear test, a move that was in violation of Security Council sanctions and drew widespread condemnation, including from Mr. Ban.

The test prompted the Security Council to tighten sanctions on the country’s trade and banking, as well as travel by targeted officials. The DPRK then reportedly said it was cancelling the 1953 Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War.

“Things must begin to calm down, as this situation, made worse by the lack of communication, could lead down a path that nobody should want to follow,” he said.

“There is no need for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to be on a collision course with the international community. I am convinced that nobody intends to attack DPRK because of disagreements about its political system or foreign policy. However, I am afraid that others will respond firmly to any direct military provocation.”