While Damascus and the UN have signed an agreement on the terms of the UN monitoring mission in Syria, the US has called for tougher sanctions against the Assad regime, including a global arms embargo.

The “Friends of Syria” coalition stepped up pressure on Syria during its meeting in Paris on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insisted it was time to impose more sanctions on Damascus. “We need to start moving very vigorously in the Security Council for a Chapter Seven sanctions resolution, including travel, financial sanctions and arms embargo,” she told the envoys from the 14-nations group, which includes the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.