UN human rights chief Navi Pillay urges end to Syria 'nightmare'

The United Nations Human Rights Council has convened in Geneva for a three-week session expected to be dominated by the crisis in Syria.

Opening the session, UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said the situation in Syria was turning into ''a nightmare'' and that humanitarian groups were ''crying in the darkness''.

She called for resolve by the international community to end Syria's ''humanitarian disaster''.

Meanwhile European Union foreign ministers are discussing British and French calls for an easing of sanctions against Syria, so weapons can be supplied to the rebels.