UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon expressed regret on Saturday that the UN Security Council was unable to reach agreement on a resolution on the situation in Syria.

"The secretary-general deeply regrets that the Security Council has been unable to agree on a resolution supported by the League of Arab States to bring an early end to the violence and the killing in Syria," said a statement released here by Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky.

The council failed to pass a draft resolution regarding Syria on Saturday, with 13 members voting for the measure, none abstaining, and two, Russia and China, voting against the measure. Russia and China exercised their veto power as permanent members of the council.

"As Syria's crisis deepens, bringing escalating violence and suffering to the Syrian people, the Security Council has lost an opportunity to take unified action that could help end this crisis and forge a peaceful future, with democracy and dignity, for all of the Syrian people," the statement said.

Ban's statement added that the violence that has plagued Syria since protests began against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011 should cease.

"All violence and human rights violations, especially those carried out by the Syrian authorities, must end immediately," said the statement. "This is the common yearning of people around the Arab world. The Syrian people deserve no less."

According to the statement, Ban has called for the international community to redouble its efforts to help Syria achieve a nationally-led transition to democracy.

"The United Nations stands ready to step up its efforts to work closely with the League of Arab States and others in the international community to find a peaceful and durable solution which will bring the violence and the killing in Syria to a halt," said the statement.