The United States, Turkey and Qatar called Friday for an urgent debate on Syria at the UN's top human rights body next week, citing the escalating conflict and the regime's assault on the central town of Qusayr.

"We have the honour to request the Human Rights Council to hold an urgent debate on the deteriorating situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, and the recent killings in Al Qusayr," the ambassadors of the three countries wrote in their request to council president Remigiusz Henczel.

The UN human rights council is set to open its next three-week session on Monday, and the three countries requested in their letter that the urgent debate be held during the first week, lamenting "the escalating grave human rights violations" in Syria.

Council spokesman Rolando Gomez told AFP that president Henczel and other administrators would now look into when it would be possible to hold the debate, adding that Tuesday or Wednesday looked likely.

This would not be the first time the UN's top rights body meets to discuss the spiralling violence in Syria.

The council has previously held one urgent debate on Syria and four special sessions outside its usual meetings and is already set to hear during the coming session a report from UN investigators into the human rights situation in the war-torn country.

The regime assault on the rebel stronghold of Qusayr, in central Homs province, that began Sunday has left more than 100 people dead, while thousands of civilians are believed to be trapped in the town.

The heavy fighting there is only the latest chapter in the more than two-year conflict that has killed more than 90,000 people and forced over 1.5 million Syrians to flee to neighbouring countries.

Another 6.8 million people are in need of assistance inside Syria, including nearly 4.3 million people who have been displaced from their homes.

Overall, around 38 percent of the country's pre-war population of 22.5 million is in need of humanitarian assistance.

Short link:

