Members of the United Nations Security Council failed to come to an agreement on how to end violence against protesters in Syria, Russia's envoy to the UN said.
Vitaly Churkin said the 15 Security Council members did not agree on the format of a document to reflect the UN position on the protest crackdown, which human rights activists say has left hundreds of people dead.
"We think that so far we can take soft measures, like a statement by the Security Council chairman," the Russian diplomat said, adding that it was too early to speak of a Security Council resolution. "At the moment, we have failed to reach common ground."
Security Council members are divided into two major groups. Some put the blame on Damascus, saying the Syrian government must be pressured into ending the violence, while others suggest all sides in the conflict should be encouraged to continue talks.
Churkin said the mistakes which paved the way to an international military operation in Libya should be avoided.
The uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in mid-March and has claimed more than a thousand of lives. Syrian government forces launched more tank attacks on the city of Hama on Monday during an ongoing crackdown on protesters.