U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon appealed Wednesday for a major boost in international relief aid for Syria and called for the fighting to end "in the name of humanity." In his opening remarks, at an international conference in Kuwait, the U.N. Secretary General urged all sides "and particularly the Syrian government" to halt attacks in the 22-month-old civil war that the U.N. says has claimed more than 60,000 lives. "In the name of humanity, stop the killing, stop the violence," Ban told envoys from nearly 60 nations, including Russia and Iran, according to a report of the Associated Press. Jordan's economic council said the kingdom had spent more than $833 billion on aid for refugees - accounting for nearly half the estimated 700,000 people who have fled Syria - and that it was unable to sustain a financial burden that has so far siphoned off about 3 percent of its GDP. Some U.N. officials say the refugee figures could approach 1 million later this year if the conflict in Syria does not ease. Speaking at the U.N.-led gathering in Kuwait, Jordan's King Abdullah II said sheltering and assisting the refugee wave is about the country's "capacity and potential." "We have reached the end of the line. We have exhausted our resources," he said.
