Source: Associated Press

By EDITH M. LEDERER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Mideast envoy warned Monday that the crisis at Jerusalem’s holiest site affects millions if not billions of people around the world and has “the potential to have catastrophic costs” well beyond the Middle East.

Nicolay Mladenov also warned that “the dangers on the ground will escalate” if the crisis over Israel’s installation of metal detectors isn’t resolved by the time of Muslim prayers on Friday.

He spoke to reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council at an urgent closed-door meeting on the crisis at the request of Egypt, Sweden and France. The council is scheduled to hold its monthly open meeting on the Mideast on Tuesday and dozens of countries are expected to speak.