UN worried over humanitarian situation in Syria

The UN Humanitarian Affairs Chief Valerie Amos has expressed deep concern for communities cut off in Syria by months of fighting between government and rebel forces. Amos told the (BBC) she had heard accounts of near starvation, including in the capital, Damascus. Amos, who is in Syria, said she had spoken to the government about trying to get humanitarian access. She said the situation in the country was getting worse by the day and she had heard horrific tales of suffering. The uprising began in March 2011 and the UN says more than 100,000 people have died in the conflict. Her visit comes less than two weeks before the planned start of an international conference in Switzerland to find a political solution to the war.