GENEVA
UN/Arab League Joint Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan made a terse warning Saturday the Syrian crisis was deepening, urging countries to show unity to end violence in Syria during a meeting at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva.
Annan said the Syrian crisis risked turning into an international one of "grave severity" if the countries participating in the Geneva meeting fail to act in unity.
The meeting brings together five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar as well as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and European Union's top security and foreign policy representative Catherine Ashton.
Turkey is represented by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Annan said also warned against spill-over of the crisis to the region and that a front could be opened in international terrorism with growing extremism and sectarian conflicts.
"History will judge us painfully if we fail to take the right steps today," Annan said. "You have two paths to follow: either unite to preserve your joint interests or become divided and fail."
