UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Monday called for an Olympic Truce, a worldwide cessation of all hostilities for the duration of the Beijing Olympic Games.

"Such a truce, while limited in duration, can provide a pause in which to reconsider the heavy cost of war, as well as an opening to initiate a dialogue and a window to provide relief for suffering populations," Ban said in a message released ahead of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

It can also demonstrate to the world that peace is possible in even the most seemingly intractable situations if we truly work towards it, he said.

The secretary-general joined the International Olympic Committee and the General Assembly in calling on all those who are at war to observe the Truce.

"Let them lay down their weapons, if only temporarily, so that humanity can lay claim to gold even before the Games begin," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2008)