The United Nations monitoring mission in Syria will remain suspended because of the mounting conflict, a top UN official told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
Diplomats at a closed Security Council meeting quoted Herve Ladsous, UN peacekeeping chief, as saying civilians are in "increasing danger" in Syria and "conditions are not conducive to resume operations."
The almost 300 unarmed monitors halted patrols and other operations on June 16 as President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown against opposition groups, who are increasingly well-armed, intensified.
Ladsous said the UN mission was still trying to help humanitarian workers in Syria. But he added that the Syrian government was still throwing up obstacles such as refusing to allow satellite telephones, which the UN official said were "key tools."
Even before the suspension of patrols, Assad's government had refused to allow the UN mission to have its own helicopters to get around the country.
Syrian activists say more than 15,000 people have died in the 15-month old conflict sparked by protests against Assad.