US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appealed for the “paralyzed” UN Security Council to make a new attempt to reach an accord to end the Syria conflict.

“The atrocities mount while the Security Council remains paralyzed and I would urge that we try once again to find a path forward” so that the council can try to end the violence in Syria and stop it spreading to other countries, Clinton said on Wednesday.

Her appeal came amid mounting attempts by Western nations to press Russia and China to ease their opposition to UN action against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia, Syria’s key ally, and China have used their powers as permanent members of the 15-member council to block three resolutions that could have led to economic sanctions against Assad.

At the same Security Council meeting on the Middle East, France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said it was “shocking” that the council had been unable to act in the 18 months since the uprising against Assad started.

“As the international community, we must be united to stop the violence and help initiate a process of political transition. We must find a common response. We owe it to the people,” said Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.

UN chief demands global action to end war in Syria

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded international action to stop the war in Syria, telling a somber gathering of world leaders that the 18-month conflict had become “a regional calamity with global ramifications.”

In sharp contrast to the UN chief, President Barack Obama pledged US support for Syrians trying to oust President Bashar Assad “a dictator who massacres his own people.”

Opening the UN General Assembly’s annual ministerial meeting on Wednesday, Ban said in his state of the world speech that he was sounding the alarm about widespread insecurity, inequality and intolerance in many countries.

Putting the spotlight on Syria, the UN chief said “the international community should not look the other way as violence spirals out of control.”

“We must stop the violence and flows of arms to both sides, and set in motion a Syrian-led transition as soon as possible,” he said.

While Obama didn’t call for an end to the violence, he made no mention of arming the opposition and stressed the importance of ensuring “that what began with citizens demanding their rights does not end in a cycle of sectarian violence.”

“Together, we must stand with those Syrians who believe in a different vision a Syria that is united and inclusive, where children don’t need to fear their own government, and all Syrians have a say in how they are governed, Sunnis and Alawites, Kurds and Christians,” said Obama, who arrived at the UN after Ban spoke.

“That is what America stands for; that is the outcome that we will work for with sanctions and consequences for those who persecute; and assistance and support for those who work for this common good,” the US president said.

Ban, declaring that the situation in Syria is getting worse every day, called the conflict a serious and growing threat to international peace and security that requires attention from the deeply divided UN Security Council. That appears highly unlikely, however, at least in the near future.

Russia and China have vetoed three Western-backed resolutions aimed at pressuring Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the violence and enter negotiations on a political transition, leaving the UN’s most powerful body paralyzed in what some diplomats say is the worst crisis since the US-Soviet standoff during the Cold War.