GENEVA, Switzerland, July 8 (UPI) -- Syrian officials are called on to allow humanitarian teams to investigate the situation in the country, the U.N. secretary-general said.
The United Nations estimates that as many as 1,200 people have been killed and another 10,000 displaced since a crackdown on anti-government protesters began early this year.
"This must stop," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement before reporters in Geneva.
The U.N. Security Council has been unable to reach a consensus on the conflict in Syria. Nevertheless, Ban said it was time for Damascus to let humanitarian assessment teams do their work.
"Once again, I call on the Syrian leadership to deliver on its commitments and allow the United Nations humanitarian assessment team and a human rights fact-finding mission mandated by the Human Rights Council," he said.
Syrian President Bashar Assad in various speeches and proposals rolled out a series of reforms meant to allay protester concerns. Several members of the international community questioned Assad's commitments, however, as the violence continues.
"It is time to see progress there," said Ban. "We cannot go on like this."
Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Damascus, toured the country to get a first-hand look at the consequences of the violence in the country. Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said the situation on the ground was described as "tense."
