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UN Chief Opens General Assembly With Focus On Syria

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (file photo)

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the organization's General Assembly by urging an end to the conflict in Syria.

In his address to world leaders in New York on September 28, Ban for the first time called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

Ban said the Syrian conflict is "driven by regional powers and rivalries" and that Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran held the key to a political solution to the war.

Syria will be a key issue as world leaders seek an end to a conflict that has killed over 200,000 people and displaced millions more.

U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Hassan Rohani are among those scheduled to address the General Assembly after Ban's opening address.

Based on reporting by AP and BBC