China says it supports a new draft proposal condemning the violence in Syria, while senior Arab officials say they expect President Bashar al-Assad's government to quickly sign a plan aimed at ending its deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters.

China's Foreign Ministry said Monday it supports the draft U.N. Security Council resolution introduced last week by Russia, which condemns violence by all parties, but stops short of calling for sanctions.

Western powers welcomed Russia's proposal, but said it is not strong enough on Mr. Assad and his government. Both Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution in October that contained possible references to sanctions.

Meanwhile, officials say they expect Syria to sign an Arab League peace plan that calls for allowing observers into the country to verify whether the government is honoring a pledge to stop security forces from attacking protesters. The initiative would also require the government to discuss political reforms with opposition groups.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said Saturday the Arab League may submit its plan to the Security Council for approval if Syria does not sign it by Wednesday.

The Arab League suspended Syria's membership and imposed diplomatic and economic sanctions on Damascus last month to pressure it into accepting the peace initiative. Syria has demanded changes to the plan, saying the proposed observer mission would violate its sovereignty.

The United Nations has estimated that violence linked to Syria's crackdown has killed at least 5,000 people since the uprising began in March.