...When talk is your weapon it's hard to make yourself heard over the artillery...
Secretary-General
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
held an urgent presser Tuesday morning in Cairo to discuss recent developments in the Gazoo Strip and the ongoing conflict in Syria.
"I am here personally to appeal for the end of violence and to offer my help in the ongoing efforts to achieve the ceasefire and to sympathise with civilians caught in the conflict," Ban Ki-moon asserted.
Only hours before his visit to Tel Aviv to call for a ceasefire, Ban Ki-moon asserted: "Families and children are dying as a result of senseless violence," adding that once again Paleostinians and Israelis are caught in a situation where they fear the next strike.
He asserted that immediate steps needed to be taken by all factions before further escalations - including ground operations - would take place.
"Any further escalation will put the entire region at risk. My message is clear: all sides must halt fire immediately."