Earlier, five council members " France, Britain, Luxembourg, Australia and South Korea " made a joint statement urging the Council to send the issue to the Hague-based court to prosecute war criminals.

The five countries aligned themselves with the call by Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, that the matter be turned over to ICC.

They also backed a petition by 58 countries demanding ICC investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. But Ambassador Masood Khan said that the council was split in private consultations over how to deal with the matter. "Opinion is divided," he said.

The president said some members contend that having the International Criminal Court pursue prosecutions would undermine efforts to find a peaceful solution. Russia and China have cast vetoes in the past to keep the Security Council from getting more deeply involved in the Syrian conflict.