LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday urged UN chief Ban Ki-Moon to step up the pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and help end the "despicable suppression" of the Syrian people.
Cameron spoke to the Secretary General by telephone and the pair agreed that the peace plan drawn up by UN-Arab envoy Kofi Annan needed to be implemented in the wake of the Houla massacre.
Cameron made the call as part of the government's attempts to increase pressure on the Assad regime "and to bring an end to the despicable suppression of the Syrian people," according to a statement released by his Downing Street office.
The prime minister also suggested that the UN Security Council consider increasing the size of the observer mission to strengthen the chances of the plan succeeding, according to a read out of the conversation.
Former UN chief Annan earlier expressed "horror" at the Houla massacre of more than 100 people as he began a visit to Syria on Monday aimed at salvaging his battered peace plan.
Annan said the "tragic" massacre in the central town was "an appalling moment with profound consequences," in remarks before meeting Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.
Annan's peace plan was supposed to begin with a ceasefire from April 12, but it has been broken daily.
A watchdog said another 36 people were killed on Monday, a day after 87 died in one of the deadliest days of the putative truce.
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