United Nations, Rabi'I 15, 1433, Feb 7, 2012, SPA - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said he was “appalled” by the mounting death toll in Syria. In particular, Ban condemned the “continued onslaught on the city of Homs involving the use of heavy artillery and the shelling of civilian areas.” He said such violence is “totally unacceptable before humanity.” The remarks by the secretary-general come two days after the Security Council failed to agree on a resolution that would have backed the Arab League plan to end the violence. “The lack of agreement in the Security Council gives no license to the Syrian authorities to step up attacks on the Syrian population,” Ban said. “No government can commit such acts against its people without its legitimacy being eroded.” The U.N. chief warned the Syrian government “that it is accountable under international human-rights law for all acts of violence perpetrated by its security forces against the civilian population.” --SPA 11:59 LOCAL TIME 08:59 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/967846