Western nations want a 10-day deadline set for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to halt the use of heavy weapons or face sanctions, according to a draft resolution sent to UN Security
Council members on Wednesday.

The resolution, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, would allow for non-military sanctions if Syrian government forces kept up their offensive on cities.

Negotiations on the western draft and a rival Russian resolution, which does not mention sanctions, are to start Thursday in New York, diplomats said.

A vote has to be held before July 20 when the mandate of the UN observer mission in Syria ends.

The resolution, drawn up by Britain, France, the United States and Germany, condemns "the Syrian authorities' increasing use of heavy weapons, including indiscriminate shelling from tanks and helicopters".

- Agence France Presse