Impasse at UN Syria crisis debate

The council was discussing whether to adopt an Arab League plan calling for an end to violence and for President Bashar al-Assad to stand down.

Qatar's prime minister urged council members to take action against what he called Assad's "killing machine".

But China and Russia said the plan amounts to regime change and remain opposed to the Arab League proposal.

The UN estimates more than 5,400 people have been killed since the unrest began last March. The violence appears to be intensifying - more than 100 people were reported to have been killed across the country on Monday and at least 37 people on Tuesday, say rights groups.

The draft resolution strongly condemns human rights abuses by the Syrian government and calls on all sides to cease the use of violence.

It calls on countries to stop the flow of arms to Syria, but does not impose an arms embargo.

Speaking at the start of the UN debate, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said all previous initiatives had failed "because the Syrian government failed to make any sincere effort to co-operate with us and the only solution available to it was to kill its own people".

"Bloodshed continued and the killing machine is still at work," he said, urging members to act but stressing that it was for the Syrian people to decide whether they wanted a change in leadership.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during the debate that the situation in Syria risked spinning out of control, but that Mr Assad's "reign of terror" would end.

Clinton dismissed concerns that Syria could follow the same pattern as Libya and result in military intervention.

She said the Arab League's plan, under which Assad would hand over power to his deputy, represents "the best effects and efforts of Syria's neighbours to chart a way forward and deserves a chance to work".

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil el-Arabi said the plan aimed to avoid foreign military intervention.

On Saturday, the Arab League announced it was suspending its month-old monitoring mission in Syria because of an upsurge of violence.

Syria's representative at the UN, Bashar Jaafari, rejected the proposals, saying Syria was protecting its security and would "stand firm in confronting its enemies".