UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (C) talks during a press conference in Turkey, Dec. 7, 2012. (Xinhua)

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Syria's President that using chemical weapons in the country's conflict would be "an outrageous crime against humanity with dire consequences".  Mr. Ban's comments came as he visited Turkey on Friday for talks on Syria, amid Turkey's calls for help from the international community in managing its refugee crisis and providing safety along Turkey's 565-mile border with Syria. Ban also called on parties involved to stop violence immediately and added that he had sent a letter to President Bashar al-Assad to warn him against using chemical weapons in any circumstances. Syria’s possible use of chemical weapons has become a hot issue when recently the US and many Western countries consider it a red line warning the Syrian government to face a strong response from the international community.