UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday urged countries to continue to focus on the conflict in Syria and called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to allow UN investigators into the country to investigate claims of chemical weapons attacks.<br/> <br />Ban met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi where the UN chief is also expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.<br/> <br />He praised Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for their leadership in proposing and organising an urgent meeting of stakeholders in the conflict.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) UN SECRETARY-GENERAL, BAN KI-MOON, SAYING:<br/> <br />"We should not lose this momentum generated by Minister Lavrov and Secretary Kerry. There is a high expectation that this meeting should be held as soon as possible."<br/> <br />The meeting will aim to include the same global powers that attended a 2012 meeting on Syria in Geneva, but this time would also have representatives of the Syria
