Syria might witness a "huge humanitarian catastrophe" due to the growing number of killed people, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Al-Arabi said on Thursday.

During an Arab ministerial meeting in Cairo, Al-Arabi announced efforts by the regional organisation to reach a "peaceful solution" to the 22-month civil war through pushing regime and opposition representatives to political dialogue.

"The Arab League's aim is to maintain the social fabric and sovereignty of Syria; President Bashar Al-Assad's regime has to positively respond to popular demands for change and democracy," he added.

Almost 70,000 people were killed in Syria since the uprising against the ruling regime erupted in early 2011, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navil Pillay stated at a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday.

Nearly 182,938 UN- registered Syrian refugees are located in Lebanon, more than 181,729 in Turkey, 90,449 in Iraq, 16,363 in Egypt and over 6,338 in North Africa.
Al-Arabi met the Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz Al-Khatib on Monday, in which the latter stressed that his offer of talks with the government is still open.

Al-Khatib's statement came a day after a deadline he had set passed without a response on holding talks to discuss a transition of power.
The opposition leader said earlier that Al-Assad's government must release thousands of women prisoners by 10 February or he would consider his offer to have been rejected.

However, he later said on Facebook he was prepared to hold talks with representatives of Assad in areas of northern Syria under rebel control, without mentioning a deadline.
Iran, a strong regional ally to the Syrian regime, expressed willingness on Wednesday to host talks between the Syrian government and opposition. But no response is seen until now from both sides.

"Tehran is ready to host the talks if Syria’s national reconciliation minister, Ali Haidar, and the leader of the foreign-backed Syrian opposition coalition, Ahmed Moaz Al-Khatib, are ready to enter negotiations," Iran's Press TV quoted Raouf-Shibani as saying.