Germany and Russia were said to oppose British and French plans aimed at halting the advance of Col Gaddafi's forces against rebels in the East.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned of a risk of being "sucked into a war in North Africa".

France said it expected a UN resolution backing the rebels this week.

Reports from the UN in New York said a text was being drafted by British, French, Lebanese, US and German diplomats and was due to be circulated among the 15 members of the Security Council.

In their final communique, the group of eight world powers warned the Libyan leader to "respect the legitimate claim of the Libyan people to fundamental rights, freedom of expression, and a representative form of government".

The US and Russia are both known to want more details of any proposed flight restrictions.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said the proposal would not be sufficient to bring the violence to an end.