Syria warns UNSC against censure

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said the move will only worsen the situation and embolden "extremists and terrorists," Reuters reported Friday.

"It is important that the Security Council should not intervene in the internal affairs of Syria, which is a founding member of the United Nations," Muallem told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a letter sent on Friday.

He emphasized that any diplomatic move to condemn Damascus will only send a message to extremists and terrorists that their crimes have the support of the international community.

Scores of people have been killed during months of unrest in Syria.

The opposition says the security forces are behind the violence, but the Syrian government says armed thugs backed by foreign powers are the culprits.

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal have asked the UNSC to condemn the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad for the killings.

The UNSC is still deliberating its censure of Damascus, but veto-wielding Russia and China have so far said that they will oppose the move.

The United Sates has meanwhile accused the Syrian government of using "outrageous" violence against demonstrators.

In a statement, White House Spokesman Jay Carney said the Syrian government was leading the Arab country down a "dangerous path" and called for an immediate end to the violence.

The United States has taken a tough stance against the upheaval in Syria, publishing many statements against the anti-Israel government of President Assad and threatening sanctions.

However, Washington has so far failed to take a strong position against the brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in Bahrain and Yemen.

Critics say the United States is hypocritical over its stance on Syria and accuse the White House of having a double standard on human rights in individual countries.