Damascus has come under increasing pressure to pull out of the race following its crackdown on pro-democracy protests. But there has been no official confirmation of the move.

Syria's Ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, said that so far Syria's position has not changed. "I'm still waiting for instructions," the envoy said.

A campaign to keep Syria off the council has gathered steam since its violent crackdown on anti-government protesters, and Damascus been coming under increasing pressure from some Western and apparently Arab and Asian states to pull out of the race.