US President Barack Obama Wednesday called on the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against Syria over its crackdown on opposition protesters.
"Now is the time for the United Nations Security Council to sanction the Syrian regime, and to stand with the Syrian people," Obama told the UN General Assembly's session.
The Security Council is currently considering two draft resolutions on Syria, including a Russian one that calls for talks to resolve the Syrian conflict.
The US and the EU have already imposed unilateral sanctions on Syria.
The Syrian government has used force to crush opposition protests, which followed a wave of uprisings in other Arab countries.
The UN says over 2,000 people have died since the protests started in Syria in March.