US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for the “paralysed” UN Security Council to make a new attempt to reach an accord to end the Syria conflict.

“The atrocities mount while the Security Council remains paralysed and I would urge that we try once again to find a path forward” so that the council can try to end the violence in Syria and stop it spreading to other countries, Clinton said yesterday.

Her appeal came amid mounting attempts by Western nations to press Russia and China to ease their opposition to UN action against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia, Syria’s key ally, and China have used their powers as permanent members of the 15-member council to block three resolutions that could have led to economic sanctions against Assad.

At the same Security Council meeting on West Asia, France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said it was “shocking” that the council had been unable to act in the 18 months since the uprising against Assad started.

“As the international community, we must be united to stop the violence and help initiate a process of political transition. We must find a common response. We owe it to the people,” said Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.

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