Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry said on Wednesday, \"ending the conflict in Syria is a matter of great urgency and must be the top priority of the international community.\" Serry said at the UN Security Council that there were mounting reports of chemical weapons use as violence escalated in Syria and added, \"Amid mounting reports on the use of chemical weapons, we once again urge the government of Syria to allow the investigation to proceed without further delay.\" Serry noted the secretary-general was “deeply alarmed” at the increasing violence which had uprooted a quarter of the Syrian population and sent over 1.5 million into neighboring countries as refugees.