Statements made by different activists to news agencies indicate that the village of Tremseh was shelled heavily before being raided by pro-government Alawite militiamen, who killed victims one by one in the village. They say at least 200 people were killed.

"More than 220 people fell today in Tremseh," the Revolution Leadership Council of Hama told Reuters Thursday evening. "They died from bombardment by tanks and helicopters, artillery shelling and summary executions."

Syrian activists have posted videos they say show at least 17 of the dozens of people reportedly killed.

Syrian state television blamed "armed terrorist groups" for committing a massacre in Tremseh and reported three security personnel had been killed.

'Shocked an appalled'

UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan said on Friday that he was "shocked and appalled" and blamed the regime for violating "the government's undertaking to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centers."

If the death toll is confirmed, it would be the deadliest attack since the uprising began in Syria in March 2011. Activists estimate that over 17,000 people have died since the start of the conflict.

Annan also said he is to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for more talks on Monday.

Picking a plan

Meanwhile, the 15-member United Nations Security Council met Thursday in New York to try and make progress on an international agreement that would help put an end to the violence.

Two proposals were up for debate in the closed-door meeting. The first comes from a group of Western nations, led by Britain, that would give Syrian President Bashar Assad 10 days to cease violence before sanctions would be implemented against his regime under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.

Chapter 7 covers actions the UN can take to deal with threats to peace and does not exclude military action. The British proposal would also extend the mandate of Kofi Annan's observer mission in Syria by 45 days. The mission's mandate is set to expire on July 20. The observers have so far not been able to have much sway in implementing Annan's peace plan and have in fact been driven from key areas of the conflict because of the violence there.

Russia is opposed to the British plan and has issued a proposal of its own. The Russian plan would extend the observers' mandate by 90 days and would not invoke Chapter 7 of the UN Charter. Instead, it would seek to immediately implement Annan's plan and adhere to plans of a political transition agreed to last month at a meeting in Geneva. It does not mention sanctions, which is Russia's main objection to the Western-backed plan.

'No teeth'

Other Western nations argue that without sanctions, Assad will have no reason to comply with the peace plan.

"The Assad regime will not do anything without additional further pressure," said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from a Southeast Asian affairs conference in Phnom Penh.

France's UN Ambassador, Gerard Araud, said the Russian plan "doesn't have teeth."

mz, ng/slk (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)