A report for the UN earlier this week said security forces had committed crimes against humanity in their crackdown on anti-government protests.

The council is aiming to put pressure on Syria to end the violence.

UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay has called in the past for the Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.

Russia and China have blocked moves in the Security Council to condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government over the crackdown on protests.

The two countries have ruled out a Libya-style military intervention in Syria, which was mounted under a UN mandate to protect civilians from security forces suppressing anti-government protests.

On December 1, the European Union tightened sanctions against Mr Assad's government, placing bans on exporting gas and oil industry equipment to Syria and trading Syrian government bonds. It also expanded a blacklist of companies and individuals which face assets freezes and travel bans.

On the weekend the Arab League imposed sanctions on Syria.