In his final address as the United Nation's Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon opened the annual General Assembly on Tuesday by appealing for peace and criticizing the Syrian government for civilian deaths.

"Many groups have killed many innocents - but none more so than the government of Syria, which continues to barrel bomb neighborhoods and systematically torture thousands of detainees," Ban said.

The UN leader also reprimanded world leaders and representatives gathered in the room for their role in the deadly conflict in Syria.

He noted that "powerful patrons that keep feeding the war machine also have blood on their hands."

"Present in this hall today are representatives of governments that have ignored, facilitated, funded, participated in or even planned and carried out atrocities inflicted by all sides of the Syria conflict against Syrian civilians," Ban added in his final address.

The comments come on the heels of the UN and Red Cross' decision to temporarily halt aid deliveries in Syria after a 31-truck aid convoy was hit by an airstrike on Monday.

(DW)