But Syria`s UN envoy accused the secretary general of "slandering" President Bashar al-Assad`s government with his accounts of the deadly crackdown on opposition protests.
"The Syrian authorities must open without any preconditions to humanitarian communities," Ban told reporters at the UN headquarters.
Amid reports of Red Cross convoys being blocked in the protest city of Homs, Ban told the UN General Assembly that "civilian losses have clearly been heavy. We continue to receive grisly reports of summary executions, arbitrary detentions and torture.
In Homs and other cities, people are trapped in their homes without food, electricity, medical care and cannot bury their dead, Ban said. "People have been reduced to melting snow for drinking water."
Syria has refused to let UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos into the country, but Ban said the United Nations still hoped to persuade Assad to let Amos make an aid assessment.
"Why are they afraid of receiving the head of UN humanitarian department? We are ready to mobilize on this, we do not have access. So that is priority number one at this time," he said.
"We are pushing hard to have Valerie Amos visit Syria as soon as possible," and Syrian statements had indicated a visit could still be arranged, Ban said.
Syria`s UN ambassador Bashar Jaafari again denied his country had blocked a visit.
He insisted that the Damascus authorities were waiting to set a date for a visit, but gave no indication of when Amos might be let in.
Speaking after Ban at the UN General Assembly, the Syrian ambassador stressed what he called his "long friendship" and "personal respect" for the UN leader -- but went on to give a 45 minute attack on Ban and the United Nations.
Jaafari said Ban`s report "leans more toward increasing tensions than working toward a solution."
He accused the United Nations of "duplicity" by calling for efforts to bring the Syrian government and opposition together while using information from "countries which are open enemies of Syria."
AFP
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
