Juppe, Hague Head to New York for U.N. Action on Syria

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe is to head to New York on Tuesday to press the U.N. Security Council into taking action over the Syrian regime's "crimes against humanity", his ministry said.

Juppe will seek "to persuade the Security Council to assume its responsibilities faced with the Syrian regime's worsening crimes against humanity," ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said on Monday.

"The situation in Syria is indeed dramatic and constantly worsening. Dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days by the Syrian regime's savage repression," Valero told journalists.

"It's time for the Security Council to be able to contribute to the resolution of this crisis. France supports the Arab League's efforts."

The Arab League has had observers in Syria to monitor the conflict since December but on Saturday decided to withdraw them.

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi, departing Cairo for the United Nations, said the decision was taken after Damascus "chose the option of escalation".

Valero said a ministerial meeting on Tuesday would allow the Security Council to listen to the Arab League's report on the situation in Syria.

He said a draft resolution presented to the Security Council by Morocco on behalf of the Arab League on Friday "should now be adopted. Tomorrow's meeting should contribute to that."

The Foreign Office in London said that Foreign Secretary William Hague would also go to the Security Council.

"The international community has repeatedly called on President (Bashar) Assad to stop the killing and repression of civilians," the Foreign Office said in a statement announcing Hague was heading to U.N. headquarters in New York.

"He has chosen to ignore these calls. As a result there is growing consensus that the world must speak up for the people of Syria."

It added: "Now is the time for the international community to unite, including by agreeing a United Nations Security Council Resolution this week, to make clear to President Assad and his regime that the killing must stop."

Speaking in the southwestern city of Bordeaux, where he is mayor, Juppe said: "The Arab League has understood that its observer mission couldn't operate and so it decided, as I've wished for some time, to take the matter to the Security Council."

"I'm going to the Security Council in New York tomorrow because things are evolving, the regime is sinking into increasingly bloody repression," he told journalists.

But, Juppe admitted, "the conditions aren't yet right to get a resolution passed, because Russia is still reluctant."

Later on Monday, a French diplomatic source said opinions have "evolved" within the Security Council and more members were now willing to back a draft resolution criticizing Syria.

"The balance within the Security Council has evolved" concerning a draft resolution on Syria in the wake of the latest bloodshed, the source said.

"At least 10 countries" of the council's 15 members could vote in favor of a draft resolution, the source said, adding that the most hostile council members were Russia and India.

"The new non-permanent members of the Security Council are more convinced of the need for a resolution," the source said.

Morocco, Togo, Guatemala, Pakistan and Azerbaijan joined the council as new temporary members this month. At the same time Brazil, which had been among countries resisting action in Syria, lost its place on the council.

A Russian diplomatic source told Agence France Presse that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was currently on a tour of the Asia-Pacific region and "apparently he is not thinking of going to New York" for the Security Council meeting.

The 165 Arab League observers deployed after Damascus agreed to a plan foreseeing a halt to the violence, prisoners freed, tanks withdrawn from built-up areas and free movement of observers and foreign media.

Arabi said on Sunday he hoped Moscow and Beijing would allow the U.N. Security Council to issue a resolution backing a new league plan to end the crisis.

The new plan looks to a halt in the violence and Assad transferring power to his deputy ahead of negotiations -- a formula flatly rejected by Damascus.

Veto-wielding Security Council member Russia opposes the draft U.N. resolution, and it has proposed its own draft assigning equal blame for the violence on both Assad and the opposition, an option dismissed by the West.