Gulf Arab states have withdrawn their observers from Syria after it rejected an Arab League peace plan stipulating that President Bashar al-Assad surrender power.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem accused the League of plotting to engineer foreign intervention in the crisis, in which thousands of civilians and members of security forces have been killed in a 10-month-old uprising against Assad.
The bloodshed in Syria, whose revolt was inspired by others that have toppled three Arab leaders, has battered Mr Assad's standing in the world, with Iran among his few remaining allies.
The United Nations says more than 5,000 people have been killed since the revolt erupted in March. Damascus says "terrorists" have killed more than 2,000 soldiers and police.
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby and Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, who heads the League's committee on Syria, had sent a joint letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon giving details of the organisation's latest plan for a political solution in Syria.
The letter asks for a "joint meeting between them in the U.N. headquarters to inform the Security Council about developments and obtain the support of the Council for this plan," a League statement said.
An ambassador to the League said that bringing in the Security Council could trigger tougher measures if Assad fails to comply with the plan.
League officials said 55 Gulf Arab observers were being withdrawn while the other 110 members of the team would continue work in Syria pending formal approval by Syrian authorities.
