United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Syria will be on top of every leader's mind at this week's General Assembly session in New York.

More than 120 world leaders will attend the annual meeting at U.N. headquarters to discuss and debate wars, political crises and humanitarian concerns. The major meetings get under way Tuesday.

Mr. Ban says Syria will be on the top of his agenda. He says it is an issue that has to be addressed most urgently.

The world is deadlocked on how to deal with the civil war in Syria, which has killed more than 20,000 people, mostly civilians. Russia and China have vetoed tough sanctions against the Syrian government in the Security Council, and the United States has expressed no desire for military intervention.

Other major issues expected to dominate the General Assembly include tensions between Israel and Iran, and the deadly protests over the anti-Muslim film made in the United States.