Situation in Syria continues to worsen: UN envoy

UNITED NATIONS - The UN-Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said Monday that the situation in Syria is "extremely bad" and getting worse.

Brahimi told reporters that "There is no disagreement that the situation in Syria is extremely bad and getting worse, and that it is a threat to the region and a threat to the peace and security in the world."

He made the remarks after briefing the Security Council Monday morning on what he had seen and heard during his recent visit to the region, including Damascus, the capital city of Syria, and refugee camps in Jordan and Turkey.

He said that he and the Security Council have started to discuss the way forward. For the moment, he said he does not have a full plan yet, but "a few ideas". The representative also suggested that he would be returning to the region and come back to the Security Council as soon as possible with more ideas on how they could move forward.

Brahimi indicated that he was encouraged by the interest of the Security Council in Syria and their generous support to his mission, saying that he would meet more people to discuss this issue in New York during the general debate of the General Assembly which will kick off Tuesday.

Brahimi arrived in Damascus on Sept 13 to begin his first trip to Syria as UN-Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria. He met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, government officials, diplomats, as well as opposition activists during the visit.