Syrian foreign minister: 'I have right to give Syrian version'

Syria's foreign minister insisted he should be permitted to speak as long as he needed at a peace conference for his country, brushing aside UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's calls for him to conclude.

Mr Muallem ran far over the allotted 10-minute slot for each speaker, ignoring Mr Ban's attempts to intervene.

"You live in New York and I live in Syria... I have the right to give the Syrian version here in this forum," Mr Muallem replied after Mr Ban urged him to wrap up his long address.