A statement issued by his spokesperson in New York confirms that the Secretary-General, in his capacity of the depositary of the 1992 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, yesterday received the formal instrument of accession to the treaty by Syria.

“The Convention will enter into force for [Syria] on the 30th day following the date of deposit of this instrument of accession, namely on 14 October 2013,” the statement says, adding that the Convention can be acceded to at any time and that the UN chief welcomes Syria’s decision.

In a separate statement released earlier yesterday, Ban welcomed the agreement reached by Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and United States Secretary of State John Kerry on a framework for the safeguarding and destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles.

Announcement of the deal came after three days of intense talks in Geneva, Switzerland, between Lavrov and Kerry. It culminates a week of diplomatic activity noted by the media, kicked off earlier by the announcement of Russia’s proposal for Damascus to surrender its chemical weapons and place them under international control.

On Thursday, a UN spokesperson confirmed that the Secretary-General had received a letter from the Damascus informing him that Syrian President Bassar Al-Assad planned to sign and abide by the Chemical Weapons Convention.

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. The team, which the Secretary-General has said is “working around the clock,” is expected to submit its report to him in due course.

In the statement issued yesterday, Ban looks forward to learning more of this framework agreed by Russia and the United States and pledges the support of the United Nations in its implementation.

“The Secretary-General expresses his fervent hope that the agreement will, first, prevent any future use of chemical weapons in Syria and, second, help pave the path for a political solution to stop the appalling suffering inflicted on the Syrian people,” says the statement.

As for talks on a political path out of the more than two year crisis, United Nations-Arab League Joint Representative Lakhdar Brahimi has been pressing ahead with his efforts towards the holding of a long-proposed international peace conference on Syria, commonly referred to as “Geneva II”, after the Swiss city in which it would be held.

On Friday, Brahimi hosted at UN Headquarters in Geneva talks with Lavrov and Kerry on the convening of the conference. In remarks to the press, the envoy said: “The work you are doing is extremely important in itself […] but also important for all those working with you to bring forward the Geneva conference successfully.”

At a press conference held at UN Headquarters in Geneva after the meeting, Mr. Brahimi spoke alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and United States Secretary of State John Kerry. The two Government officials have been meeting in Geneva since Thursday discussing a Russian proposal for Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control.

“The work you are doing is extremely important in itself … but also important for all those working with you to bring forward the Geneva conference successfully,” Mr. Brahimi told reporters, referring to the long-proposed international peace conference on Syria commonly referred to as “Geneva II.”

Mr. Brahimi has been hard at work on the diplomatic front to bring the conference to fruition, including in discussions last week at the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg. The goal of a second Geneva conference would to be to achieve a political solution to the conflict through a comprehensive agreement between the Syrian Government and the opposition for the full implementation of the Geneva communiqué, adopted after the first international meeting on the issue on 30 June 2012.

In his comments, Mr. Kerry thanked the United Nations and Mr. Brahimi for hosting discussions on Geneva II. Those discussions have been productive and timely, as he and Mr. Lavrov were meeting on Russia’s recent initiative to “gain control of, remove and destroy chemical weapons in Syria and we would both agree that we have constructive conversations.”

“President is Obama is deeply committed to a negotiated solution and we know that Russia is likewise. We are working hard to find common ground to make that happen. We have both agreed to do homework required to make it happen,” Mr. Kerry said, announcing that he and Mr. Lavrov planned to meet in New York during the general debate of the UN General Assembly, which will open on 24 September.

While the two leaders would further consider the matter, including possibly settling on a date for the Geneva II conference, much of the way ahead “will depend on achieving success in the next hours and days” on the question of Syria’s chemical weapons, Mr. Kerry said.

“Both of us, Sergei Lavrov and I, our countries, our Presidents, are deeply concerned about the death toll and destruction and the acts on all sides that are creating more and more refugees, more and more of a humanitarian catastrophe,” he said, adding that the two Governments were committed to working together.

Speaking next, Mr. Lavrov said that now that Syria has signed the legislative decree providing for the accession of Syria to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, “we have to engage our professionals … and the United Nations to design a road so that the issue is resolved quickly, professionally as soon as practical.

“We are very glad that Mr. Brahimi has invited us to discuss a longer term goal for Syria, namely preparations for the so-called Geneva II conference. From the very beginning of the Syrian conflict, Russia and the Russian President have been promoting a peaceful resolution,” he said.

Mr Lavrov noted that Russia had initiated of the conference from which had emerged the Geneva communiqué agreed and signed “by nearly all the major players, including the United Nations, countries in the region and the P-5 [the permanent members of the Security Council].”

“It is very unfortunate that for a long period the communiqué was basically abandoned and we were not able to have Security Council endorsement of the very important document as is,” he said, thanking Mr. Kerry for his efforts to re-energize the communiqué and work with Russia towards its implementation including through the holding of a new Geneva conference. He said he was very grateful for the discussions with Mr. Brahimi.

Meanwhile, the President of the UN Human Rights Council, which is currently in session in Geneva, issued a letter to both Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Kerry drawing their attention o the work of the independent international commission of inquiry on Syria, which the Council established in 2011.

The Council President, Ambassador Remigiusz Henczel of Poland stressed that the commission had yet to be granted access to Syria, despite repeated calls on Damascus to allow the experts to enter the country. The Council President suggests that the Russian and US officials might take up the matter during the scope of their meetings in Geneva.

The commission presented its latest report to the Human Rights Council on Monday, citing ongoing incidents of murder, rape, torture, widespread attacks on civilians and hostage-taking committed by Syrian forces and anti-Government armed groups. It said that “the perpetrators of these violations and crimes, on all sides, act in defiance of international law. They do not fear accountability.”

The panel, which described Syria today as “a battlefield [where] massacres are perpetrated with impunity [and] and untold number of Syrians have disappeared,” reported that Government and pro-Government forces in Syria have continued to conduct widespread attacks on the civilian population with impunity, committing murder, torture, rape and enforced disappearance as crimes against humanity, stressed that there is no military solution to the conflict.

Speaking to UNTV ahead of the start of the conference, Mr. Ban said “the current situation caused by the allegation of chemical weapons use and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria urgently requires world leaders to focus their political will to address this issue”.

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.

A UN spokesperson in New York today said the Secretary-General is attending the opening sessions of the summit. At the working dinner, Mr. Ban is expected to brief world leaders on developments in Syria. In his remarks, the Secretary-General is expected to outline the work of the UN chemical weapons investigation team and to explain why he asked Mr. Brahimi to join him in St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, the biomedical and environmental samples collected by the by Swedish scientist Dr. Åke Sellström and his team at sites in Syria where chemical weapons were allegedly used on 21 August, had been sent to four laboratories in Europe.

Mr. Ban has called for the team to expedite the process, but to also be given every opportunity to complete its task, noting that the UN investigation is “uniquely placed to independently establish the facts in an objective and impartial manner” and to conduct its work strictly according to internationally recognized standards.

Ahead of the start of the Summit, Mr. Ban met on its sidelines with the President of the Republic of Korea, Park Geun-hye. In addition to discussing developments in Syria, Mr. Ban and Ms. Park discussed the Korean peninsula, in specific, ROK’s proposed world peace park in the Demilitarized Zone.

Mr. Ban also thanked Ms. Park for the country’s $6 million contribution to the UN World Health Organization (WHO) to assist children in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

In a meeting with the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Mr. Ban commended Kazakhstan’s long-standing constructive cooperation with the UN and the role it plays internationally in the context of nuclear non-proliferation and religious tolerance.

He and President Nazarbayev also discussed the situation in Syria, as well as the important roles played by the Organization, as well as Afghanistan and regional cooperation, on water management.

Also today, Mr. Ban discussed the situation of human rights in Russia with Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin. Mr. Ban said he appreciated the Ombudsman’s honest and useful evaluation of human rights challenges in the Russian Federation.

They discussed a number of the recommendations that arose from the most recent Universal Periodic Review, notably relating to the role of civil society, and the rights of people with disabilities and of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

The Geneva-based Council’s Universal Periodic Review subjects each country’s human rights record to a State-led peer review on the basis of information submitted by the country concerned, UN entities, civil society and other stakeholders.

The Secretary-General encouraged the Ombudsman, together with the Russian authorities, to implement all recommendations.

Mr. Ban is at the G20 to also focus international attention on long-term global challenges, including the achievement of the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), strengthening global economic recovery, and achieving a sustainable future.

“Putting off those challenges until tomorrow will only make them even more difficult and expensive to solve,” Mr. Ban said yesterday remarks at St. Petersburg State University.

The MDGs will be a focus at the high-level gathering of the General Assembly later this month at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Mr. Ban is expected to speak about the MDGs and the post-2015 sustainable development tomorrow in remarks to the G20.

In a statement, the Quartet members – the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States – welcomed the announcement by US Secretary of State John Kerry that the talks between the two sides resumed in Washington yesterday.

The two lead negotiators at the US-brokered talks were Israeli justice minister Tzipi Livni and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat.

“The Quartet commends both President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu for taking this courageous decision in the interest of their peoples,” the statement said, adding that the group is determined to lend its effective support to the efforts of the parties and their shared commitment to achieve a negotiated two-State solution within the agreed timeframe of nine months.

Further to the statement, the Quartet reiterated its calls on all parties to take every possible step to promote conditions conducive to the success of the negotiating process and to refrain from actions that undermine trust.

“The Quartet expresses its appreciation for the efforts of President Obama and Secretary Kerry in helping the parties reach agreement to resume negotiations,” the statement said, also commending the Arab League for its constructive role in support of renewed negotiations, including its reaffirmation of the Arab Peace Initiative.

The Quartet also recognized many others in the international community for their important contributions, and expressed hope that such efforts will continue.

“While noting that much hard work lies ahead, the Quartet expresses its hope that renewed negotiations will be substantive and continuous and set a clear path towards a two-State solution, the end of conflict, and lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the diplomatic envoys said, expressing the intention to meet soon to discuss next steps.

“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.”

“It is my sincere hope that we can convene an international conference on Syria as soon as possible to help parties come to the negotiating table,” Mr. Ban said at a joint press conference in Sochi with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Last week, following talks in Moscow between Mr. 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.

“I thanked the Foreign Minister for working with US Secretary of State Kerry on finding a way forward,” said Mr. Ban. “Now our challenge is to build on the momentum that Foreign Minister Lavrov and Secretary Kerry have helped to generate.”

He added that although a date for the conference has not yet been set, it should take place soon. “We will try to fix a date as soon as possible. We should not lose this momentum generated by Minister Lavrov and Secretary Kerry. There is high expectation that this meeting should be held as soon as possible.”

Since March 2011, fighting between the Syrian Government and opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad has killed more than 70,000 people, and left 6.8 million people in need. In addition, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today that the number of Syrian civilians who have fled their country to escape conflict has passed the 1.5 million mark.

“The crisis in Syria is first and foremost on our minds,” Mr. Ban stated. “I am deeply concerned about the ongoing violence and the terrible impact on millions of civilians.”

The Secretary-General and Mr. Lavrov also discussed how the Syria crisis is affecting the wider region, including countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. They also exchanged views on a number of other issues, including the Middle East peace process, the situation in Afghanistan, climate change, and the situation on the Korean peninsula.

Mr. Ban also discussed these issues today with President Vladimir Putin, with whom he underscored the importance of the strong partnership between the UN and Russia. He commended the emphasis Russia places on multilateral diplomacy in addressing key global challenges, according to a read-out of the talks.

Adopted by a vote of 107 in favour to 12 against, with 59 abstentions, the Assembly text expressed the body’s outrage at the “rapidly increasing death toll” in Syria, which the UN estimates to be in the tens of thousands. The resolution also strongly condemns the Syrian Government’s increased use of heavy weapons, and also condemns ongoing “widespread and systematic gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

This marks the fifth resolution on the situation in Syria voted by the 193-member body since 2011, when fighting broke out between the Government and opposition forces seeking to oust President Bashar Al-Assad. The current measure welcomes the establishment last year of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces “as effective representative interlocutors needed for a political transition.”

The Arab-led resolution requests the international community to provide “urgent” financial support to host countries to enable them to respond to the growing humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees and affected communities. It also requests the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to submit a report to the Assembly within 90 days “on the very dire situation” of IDPs in the country.

“Over the past 800 days, the conflict has continued to escalate, threatening the establishment of ethnic or sectarian fiefdoms—thus gravely imperilling the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,” said Assembly President Vuk Jeremic ahead of action on the text. “Violence is begetting more violence; hatred, more hatred —carving deeper and deeper wounds into Syria’s society.”

“If we are unable to do anything to stop this tragedy, then how can we sustain the moral credibility of this Organization?” he asked, adding: “It is high time to say ‘enough is enough;’ enough to complacency and enough to fratricide.” He said that evidence of chemical weapons use is now coming to light. “Succumbing to the despondency of the status quo “is a prescription for a disastrous future” of multiplying crises in Syria and the wider Middle East region.”

President Jeremic said that at least 80,000 have perished since the start of the hostilities, most of these casualties believed to be civilians, and that the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has registered more than a million, now living in camps in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and beyond. Over four million more people have been internally displaced since the fighting began.

“We should strive to build on the agreement reached by the Action Group for Syria last June in Geneva, and reinvigorated a few days ago in Moscow, to get the political process off the ground, enabling the citizens of Syria to begin reconciliation and freely determine their nation’s future, he said.

Also speaking before the vote, Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja’Afari expressed his surprise that the resolution was tabled under the Assembly’s agenda item on “prevention of armed conflict” because he believed its content contradicted that purpose. Indeed, it sought to escalate violence by legitimizing the provision of weapons to terrorists in Syria and “by recognizing one faction of the opposition as the Syrian people’s legitimate representative. “

Whenever a political solution looked likely, he said, terrorist activity rose and Member States aborted their efforts to find a political solution. Al-Qaida-linked terrorists were operating in Syria thanks to the “involvement of intelligence agencies of well-known States” and they committed “unprecedented savage crimes” and human rights violations.

Syria had reacted positively to peace initiatives and he stressed his continued commitment to achieving a “Syrian-led comprehensive national dialogue” that would include the opposition. He called on opposition forces that rejected dialogue to adhere to the will of the “great majority of the Syrian people,” which favoured a political solution.

Nearly 30 other delegations took the floor, with some questioning “the motive behind the text – regime change – which has been clear from the start,” while others urged delegations to “look at the resolution honestly; look at the words on the page, which clearly call for a speedy political transition in Syria.”

Still other speakers saw the resolution as “counterproductive” in light of the understanding reached by US Secretary of State John Kerry, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow earlier this month to convene a an international meeting on a political transition in Syria. Those urging the Assembly to reject the text said the resolution bestowed authority on the National Coalition which could only be exercised by democratically elected officials.

On Tuesday, the US and Russia reportedly agreed to convene an international conference to find a political solution to the Syria crisis, adding that they would encourage both Damascus and the opposition to negotiate. The announcement came after talks in Moscow between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“The statements made in Moscow constitute a very significant first step forward. It is nevertheless only a first step,” Mr. Brahimi said in a statement, adding that this is the first “hopeful news” concerning Syria in a very long time.

A statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson noted that the Secretary-General and Mr. Brahimi have asserted from the outset their conviction that a negotiated political solution is the only way to end this “prolonged and ever-deepening” crisis.

“The goal should be clear to all – it must be an end to violence, a clean break from the past and a transition to a new Syria in which the rights of all communities are protected and the legitimate aspirations of all the people in Syria for freedom, dignity and justice are met,” the statement said.

Mr. Brahimi, who is currently attending a meeting of The Elders in Ireland, has called on the US and Russia to exercise leadership and work together to initiate a process to implement the Geneva Declaration of 30 June 2012.

That document – issued after a meeting in the Swiss city of the Action Group for Syria – lays out key steps in a process to end the violence. Among other items, it calls 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.

“There is every reason to expect the three other permanent members of the Security Council as a whole and indeed all the Security Council members to work together amongst themselves and with the Secretary-General to carry the process forward,” said Mr. Brahimi.

“Naturally the Syrians themselves – all the Syrians – will occupy pride of place in the process that should be launched as early as possible. It is equally important that the entire region mobilises in the support of the process,” he added.

In addition to the tens of thousands killed, some 4.25 million people have been displaced since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, with more than 1.4 million of them taking refuge in neighbouring countries.

The UN estimates that some 6.8 million people inside Syria are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance – nearly half of them children.

Meanwhile, the near-bankrupt member of the eurozone has closed its banks until Tuesday.

Talks between President Nicos Anastasiades and the troika of lenders in Nicosia proved inconclusive yesterday as Cyprus’s overtures to Russia for financing also failed to yield results.

According to Financial Times, Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev did not rule out possible support for Cyprus but said talks would continue with European Commission officials, including president José Manuel Barroso, in a pre-planned meeting today in Moscow.

In the most detailed comments yet from Moscow on the bailout plan voted down by the Cyprus parliament on Tuesday, Medvedev said the EU and Cyprus had acted “like an elephant in a China shop”.

The cabinet meeting of Cyprus under the President of the Republic, Nikos Anastasiadis will meet again today, as the process for the approval of several bills, were not completed yesterday.

Troika rejected the alternative plan of Cyprus, which provided for the finding of EUR 5.8 billion that would come from the haircut of deposits, from internal sources, media have suggested. The various solutions include the use of reserves from Cypriot insurance funds and the imposition of an emergency “assistance fee” to Cypriot taxpayers.

However, latest reports coming from the island earlier this morning suggest that an agreement is close, since the Cypriot government has agreed with the troika representatives on a viable Plan B.

More specifically, according to tovima.gr, Laiki Bank will close replaced by a new ‘good bank’ to save EUR 2 billion. Cash reserves of insurance funds of public sector employees will provide another EUR 2.8 billion, whilst the remaining EUR 1 billion could come from a small haircut of deposits, around 1-1.5%, that corresponds to interest gained in the last few years.

If confirmed, it would be the first use of such weapons in the two-year-old conflict.

Syria’s information minister al-Zoubi said rebels had fired a rocket carrying chemical agents that killed 25 people and injured over 100.

The minister blamed ‘terrorists’ for firing a rocket with chemical substances  in al-Neirab on Khan al-Asal in Aleppo in what he called a “dangerous escalation” and held the countries that are arming syria’s opposition responsible for the attack in Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Russia’s ministry said in a statement: “This incident constitutes a very worrying and serious development in the context of the crisis in Syria.”

However, a Free Syrian Army commander denied media reports on Tuesday that opposition forces were behind the chemical weapon attack in Aleppo, accusing the regime, according to AP.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group, put the number of dead at 26, including 16 regime soldiers.

President Bashar Assad, battling a two-year-old uprising against his rule, is widely believed to have a chemical arsenal.

Syrian officials have warned that if it existed it would be used to defend against foreign aggression, not against Syrians.

Meanwhile, the White House says it has no evidence to back up Bashar Assad’s claim that Syrian rebels have used chemical weapons.

US President Barack Obama, has previously warned Assad that any use of chemical weapons would be a “red line”.

On ground, Syrian rebels on Tuesday seized a guard post near the Jordanian border and a tank brigade headquarters in the south of the country, after regime forces withdrew, the Syrian observatory for Human Rights reported, according to Al Arabiya.