Both expressed deep frustration at the failure of the international community to act with unity to end to the conflict, and regretted that the Government and the armed opposition forces have become “increasingly reckless with human life,” according to information from Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

They also emphasized the importance of ensuring accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Up to 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011 and more than 900,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries. In addition, 2 million have been internally displaced and over 4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

During their meeting, Ban and Brahimi reaffirmed their conviction that the international community should remain focused on pursuing a political solution to arrive at a peaceful, democratic Syria that protects the right of all of its communities.

The two men also discussed recent statements by the Government and the opposition indicating their willingness to engage in dialogue and said that the UN would welcome and be prepared to facilitate a dialogue between a strong and representative delegation from the opposition and a credible and empowered delegation from the Syrian Government.

Speaking in Damascus, Mr. Brahimi also elaborated on the idea of deploying an international peacekeeping force to the country to monitor a hoped-for peace deal that would end violence that has killed tens of thousands of Syrians.

“The change required is not cosmetic,” Mr. Brahimi told journalists in the Syrian capital at the end of a five-day trip to the country, during which he met with President Bashar al-Assad.

“Syria and the Syrian people need, want and look forward to real change. And the meaning of this is clear to all,” he added.

Mr. Brahimi’s call reflects a plan that emerged six months ago from an international meeting in Geneva on Syria for the establishment of a national unity government for the country, which has been gripped by violence since protests that began against Mr. al-Assad 21 months ago turned into a revolt amid a crackdown by authorities.

Since the unveiling of the so-called “Geneva communiqué,” forces opposed to Mr. Assad have gained territory as well as a number of military installations in Syria’s north, media reports say. Anti-Assad forces are also reported to be expanding their presence in Damascus.

Mr. Brahimi said that a failure by the Syrians themselves to find a solution to the conflict meant that the international community needed to step up its collective efforts to help them.

“The solution is in bringing closer Syrian points of views,” he said. “If the Syrians are incapable of doing this on their own, then the international community, their neighbours and everyone else must assist them in doing so, and assist them in doing good.”

The UN-Arab league envoy will be in Moscow this Saturday for talks, and said he plans to hold additional meetings with United States and Russian officials after two earlier rounds of talks with top officials of those countries earlier this month.

“These two countries have influence and a global responsibility, which qualifies them to help in searching for solutions that we look forward to in Syria,” Mr. Brahimi said.

The official noted that statistics no longer conveyed the full horror of what was unfolding in the Syria.

“The truth is, when one mentions figures, they appear cold,” he said. “When one says there are (four) million internally displaced (people), what does it mean?”

Mr. Brahimi warned that current projections placed the number of people driven by the conflict to other countries in the region as refugees would exceed one million by the middle of next year, up from half a million registered refugees now.

In calling for a transition government, the Joint Special Representative signalled that there could be no compromise over its level of powers. While he also said that the transitional period should not be allowed to lead to the collapse of the state or its institutions, he left open the possibility that the eventual elections could be for a reformed leadership structure.

The envoy said peacekeepers were needed to provide “strong observation” of a peace deal, but insisted that such a deployment would not constitute an international occupation of the country.

“These are not foreign forces; they only come with the agreement of the parties,” he said. “When we reach a stage of speaking about peacekeeping forces, it means that there is an agreement, and, thankfully, the parties have agreed that they need these forces.”

Mr. Brahimi’s talks in Syria marked his third visit to the country since becoming the international Syria envoy in August. He said he told not only Mr. Assad, but also opposition groups he met both “inside and outside” the country, of his proposals for peace.

Mr. Brahimi has also been engaged in a series of other meetings in the region and elsewhere as part of his efforts to bring about a negotiated, political solution to end to the fighting in Syria.

He has previously stated that a peace process could be based on the Geneva communiqué, which was issued after a meeting in the Swiss city of the so-called Action Group for Syria in late June and which lays out key steps in a process to end the violence in Syria.

Amongst other items, the Geneva communiqué called for the establishment of a transitional governing body, with full executive powers and made up by members of the present Government and the opposition and other groups, as part of agreed principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led political transition.

“The President expressed his view regarding the current situation and I briefed him on the meetings I had in several capitals with officials from different countries inside and outside the region,” Mr. Brahimi told reporters in the Syrian capital of Damascus following the meeting.

“I also told him about the steps that in my view need to be taken to help the Syrian people find a way out of this crisis,” he added.

Mr. Brahimi has been engaged in a series of meetings in the region and elsewhere as part of his efforts to bring about a negotiated, political solution to end to the fighting in Syria, where at least 20,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against President al-Assad began in March 2011. The conflict has spawned more than 500,000 refugees, while an estimated four million people inside the country need urgent humanitarian assistance.

In addition to meeting with regional leaders and government representatives, Mr. Brahimi has also met with officials such as Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, and the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, amongst others.

At the media encounter in Damascus, the Joint Special Representative also addressed claims of difficulty in arranging to meet with the Syrian President.

“I would like to seize this opportunity to comment on what was said a few days ago about the reluctance of President to receive me during my previous visits, and his refusal to see me this time, and that I asked the Russians to intervene with the President to convince him to meet with me, or otherwise I would resign – I would like to say that not one word of this is true,” Mr. Brahimi said.

The Joint Special Representative has previously stated that a peace process could be based on the so-called Geneva communiqué, which was issued after a meeting in the Swiss city of the Action Group for Syria – made up of interested parties – in late June and which lays out key steps in a process to end the violence in Syria.

“The situation is Syria is still worrying and we hope that all parties would adopt a solution that would meet the aspirations of the Syrian people,” Mr. Brahimi added.

Amongst other items, the Geneva communiqué called for the establishment of a transitional governing body, with full executive powers and made up by members of the present Government and the opposition and other groups, as part of agreed principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led political transition.

The Action Group is made up of the Secretaries-General of the UN and the Arab League; the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – as well as the Turkish Foreign Minister; the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; and the Foreign Ministers of Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar, in their respective roles related to the Arab League.

Some sources were reporting up to 300 dead in the blast, which occurred in the town of Halfaya, according to Al Arabiya.

The incident took place in Halfaya, a town captured by rebels last week.

One activist in Halfaya, Samer al-Hamawi, told Reuters: “There is no way to really know yet how many people were killed. When I got there, I could see piles of bodies all over the ground. We hadn’t received flour in around three days so everyone was going to the bakery today, and lots of them were women and children. I still don’t know yet if my relatives are among the dead.”

“In Halfaya, regime forces bombarded a bakery and committed a massacre that killed dozens of people, including women and children, and wounded many others,” said the Local Coordination Committees, a grassroots network of activists.

The latest incident comes as the joint United Nations-Arab League special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, arrived in Damascus to discuss ways to end the conflict in the war-torn country.

Instead of flying directly to Syria as he has on previous visits, Brahimi landed in Beirut and travelled to the Syrian capital by land because of fighting near the Damascus airport.

Brahimi did not speak publicly upon his arrival in Damascus. Diplomats told Al Jazeera that the Geneva communique is “the basis of [Brahimi’s] work”. The communiqué, which agreed terms for a transitional authority to oversee the end of violence in the country, was hammered out with the inclusion of Russia and China, Al Jazeera reported.

The uprising to topple President Bashar al-Assad has entered its 21st month, with opposition groups saying more than 44,000 people have been killed.

In a statement carried by SANA state news agency the Syrian Foreign Ministry following Walid al-Muallem’s and Brahimi’s meeting on Saturday, described the talks as “constructive” and “serious”.

According to the statement, talks also touched upon what is required from the rest of the parties which are undermining the UN envoy’s mission by going on with arming, hosting, training and funding the “armed terrorist groups”.

There were no details concerning Brahimi’s proposed ceasefire but Syria has so far given a guarded response,
 suggesting it wants guarantees that rebels that they would also be involved in the ceasefire.

However, the violence in Syria continued unabated on saturday, with opposition activists reporting heavy clashes in Aleppo and intensified army bombing of towns along the strategic north-south highway, according to AFP. 

Brahimi has called for a ceasefire during next week’s Eid al-Adha holiday to stem the bloodshed in war-torn Syria.

A previous ceasefire in April collapsed after just a few days, with each side blaming the other. Mediator Kofi Annan resigned his post in frustration a few months later. Next week’s truce would be monitored by Syrians “themselves” as Brahimi stated, with no international observers.

According to the UN, more than 20,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 20 months ago. In addition, a further 2.5 million Syrians urgently need humanitarian aid, and over 340,000 have crossed the border to Syria’s neighbouring countries.

Earlier Friday, Mr. Ban strongly called on the Security Council and regional organizations to urgently act to stop the bloodshed and find peace for the people in Syria, warning that the prolonged conflict in the Middle Eastern country represents one of the greatest global security threats.

The world body is currently providing food for 1.5 million people inside the country and providing shelter, health care and education assistant in Government-held areas, as well as those held by the opposition.

In addition, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is providing assistance to thousands of displaced people who have crossed the border into Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. According to the agency, at least 340,000 Syrian refugees have fled the country, with this number expected to more than double by the end of the year.

However, deteriorating conditions in the country have affected the ability of humanitarian agencies to operate. Over the past week, there have been reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that almost 70 per cent of the public hospitals have been damaged or destroyed and that half of the ambulances in the country have been attacked.

The Secretary-General also reiterated his call on the Security Council, regional countries and all parties to live up to their obligations and take the necessary measures to ensure the success of Mr. Brahimi’s efforts in ensuring a ceasefire.

In a statement upon arrival in the capital city’s international airport, Brahimi said no one disagrees with the need to stop the bloodshed and restore harmony among the people in Syria. “We came to Syria for consultation with the brotherly Syrians… There is a crisis and I think it is deteriorating,” he said.

Brahimi met this afternoon with the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Walid Al-Moualem, with whom he had a candid and comprehensive talk about the current situation in the country.We came to Syria for consultation with the brotherly Syrians… There is a crisis and I think it is deteriorating.

According to his spokesperson, Brahimi emphasized during the meeting that he would spare no effort to help find a solution to the crisis and that his primary concern was the welfare of the Syrian people.

While in Syria, Brahimi will also meet with the UN country team, his spokesperson said in a statement.

Brahimi is accompanied by Mokhtar Lamani, who will remain in the Syrian capital to assume his new functions as Head of the Office of the Joint Special Representative for Syria in Damascus.

More than 18,000 people, mostly civilians, have died since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began nearly 18 months ago. Amidst reports of an escalation in violence in recent weeks in many towns and villages, as well as the country’s two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo, UN agencies now estimate that some 2.5 million Syrians are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

On Monday, Brahimi had reiterated his commitment to the Syrian people during his visit to Cairo, Egypt, where he met with Arab League officials before heading to Syria. “I do know it is a very difficult task, but I believe it is not my right to refuse and to try my best to give as much help as possible to the Syrian people,” Mr. Brahimi said.

An Algerian national who has served the UN in various high-level roles over the past two decades, Brahimi has assumed the peace-facilitation role which had been carried out since February by a former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, with the aim of bringing an end to all violence and human rights violations in Syria, and promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict. Mr. Annan’s mandate ended on 31 August.