Cold War is back with a vengeance, UN chief Antonio Guterres warns

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the Cold War is back “with a vengeance”.

He said the Middle East is in such “chaos” that it has become a danger to international peace and security — and Syria “represents the most serious threat”.

"The Cold War is back with a vengeance, but with a difference," he said. "The mechanisms and the safeguards to manage the risks of escalation that existed in the past no longer seem to be present."

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He urged countries to "act responsibly in these dangerous circumstances".

"Increasing tensions and the inability to reach a compromise in the establishment of an accountability mechanism (for chemical weapons use in Syria) threaten to lead to a full-blown military escalation," Guterres told the Security Council on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"In my contacts with you -- especially with the permanent members of the Security Council -- I have been reiterating my deep concerns about the risks of the current impasse and stressed the need to avoid the situation spiralling out of control. This is exactly the risk we face today -- that things spiral out of control," said the UN chief.

"It is our common duty to stop it."

"In Syria, we see confrontations and proxy wars involving several national armies, a number of armed opposition groups, many national and international militia, foreign fighters from everywhere in the world, and various terrorist organisations," he told the Security Council, which was convening at the request of Russia.