A new resolution calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to put an end to violent attacks on civilians was circulated at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

Drawn up by Saudi Arabia and Qatar the resolution is expected to be put to vote in the 193-member assembly on Thursday. It is said to strongly condemn human rights abuses and backs an Arab League Plan aimed at ending the 11-month conflict in the country.

The latest resolution comes after Russia and China vetoed a similar, legally binding resolution at the UN Security Council on February 4 on the grounds that it was "unbalanced."

Although a resolution at the General Assembly carries less weight than a Security Council resolution, nations are unable to veto it. While China and Russia are expected to oppose the new text, UN diplomats said the measure was almost sure to pass.

If approved, the resolution would be the second adopted by the General Assembly on Syria in two months. On December 19, the assembly voted 133-11 with 43 abstentions to condemn human rights violations in Syria, where activists say more than 6,000 have died since protests against Assad's government erupted last March.

"We'll see if this new text earns more or less than the 133 votes given to the first resolution," one diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

"That will be the measure of success, but this time, the content is more political in nature," the diplomat added.

Crimes against humanity

The circulation of the latest resolution came a day after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the General Assembly that "crimes against humanity are likely to have been committed" in Syria.

"Independent, credible and corroborated accounts indicate that these abuses have taken place as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians," Pillay said. Damascus flatly rejected her claims on Tuesday.

The proposed resolution demands that the Syrian government end all violence, release all those detained during the unrest, withdraw all armed forces from cities and towns, guarantee peaceful demonstrations, and allow unrestricted access to Arab League monitors and international media.

It also endorses the Arab League's decision to assist a transition to a democratic political system, by initiating "a serious political dialogue between the Syrian government and the whole spectrum of the Syrian opposition."

It does not refer, however, to an Arab League request on Sunday for the Security Council to authorize a joint Arab-UN peacekeeping mission for Syria.

The Security Council has not yet adopted any resolutions on the situation in Syria. In addition to the resolution on February 4, an earlier draft was vetoed by Russia and China in October.

Merkel pledges sanctions

Also on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged fresh European Union sanctions against the Syrian regime.

Merkel praised the Arab League for taking a "firm stance" on Syria, shortly before meeting with the head of the League, Nabil al-Arabi, in Berlin.

"The European Union supports this stance, and we will also reinforce it with further sanctions," Merkel said.

ccp/ai (AFP, AP)