Britain called on Wednesday for harsher sanctions on Syria, where an Arab monitoring mission has failed to halt bloodshed in a 10-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. Syria may let the monitors stay on after their mandate expires on Thursday, but Assad's foes say the Arab League peace effort has failed and the UN Security Council should step in.
Arab foreign ministers, due to consider their next step at the weekend, are split over how to handle Syria, as is the Security Council, which has failed to adopt any position. US President Barack Obama has again called for a change of government, saying the violence in Syria was unacceptable.
British Prime Minister David Cameron accused Iran and Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement of helping to prop up Assad, whom he described as "a wretched tyrant". "Britain needs to lead the way in making sure we tighten the sanctions, the travel bans, the asset freezes, on Syria," Cameron told parliament in London.
European Union foreign ministers are expected to discuss extra EU sanctions at a meeting on Monday. Hundreds of killings on both sides have been reported since the Arab League sent observers last month to see whether Damascus was respecting a peace plan it accepted on November 2.
An Arab League source said Damascus would accept a one-month extension of the monitoring mission, but no broadening of its mandate. Critics say the observers have only provided Assad with diplomatic cover and more time to crush his opponents.
The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces killed a civilian in a village in the north-western province of Idlib on Wednesday and the body of a youth detained nearly two weeks ago turned up in Homs. It said a soldier had been killed and five wounded in clashes between troops and army deserters in the Idlib village of Khaf Takharim. Three rebel soldiers were also wounded.
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