UN chief Ban Ki-moon says time running out for Syria talks

United Nations: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says while the time is not yet right for new peace talks in Syria, failing to get a serious agreement soon will make a further escalation all too likely. [caption id=“attachment_2820566” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Reuters[/caption] Ban said Thursday that his special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has declined to set a date for a third round of talks because “the time is not yet mature.” “We don’t want to have talks for the sake of talks. At the same time, I want to underline the great urgency of the deadline of early August set by the co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group,” Ban said. He also called on the Syrian government to allow unhindered humanitarian access within the war-torn country, saying withholding access is a war crime.