Russia has offered the UN Security Council a new, stronger draft resolution on the violence in Syria.
It follows months of diplomatic stalemate with western efforts to get Security Council approval for a resolution facing a veto from Russia and China.
Russia's ambassador at the UN, Vitaly Cherkin, said his country's document was a blueprint for progress on the issue.
However, Western envoys said the Russian text was too weak, but they were willing to negotiate over it.
It gives the council a chance to overcome its deadlock and issue its first resolution on Syria's nine-month-old crackdown on protesters.
The United Nations says 5,000 civilians have been killed in President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on protests, which were inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world.
Mr Assad has denied any orders were issued to kill demonstrators and says gunmen have killed 1,100 of his forces.
Western diplomats believe a firm Security Council resolution backed by Russia, Syria's longstanding ally, could make a real difference to the crisis.
In October, Russia and China vetoed a West European draft resolution that threatened sanctions.
Russia has circulated its own draft twice, but Western nations said it made an unacceptable attempt to assign blame equally to government and opposition.
The draft circulated unexpectedly by Russia yesterday expands and toughens Moscow's previous text, adding a new reference to "disproportionate use of force by Syrian authorities".
In Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she could not support some parts of the draft, but "hopefully we can work with the Russians, who for the first time at least are recognising that this is a matter that needs to go to the Security Council".
