German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday sharpened her condemnation of Syria's violent crackdown on demonstrators that left more than 130 dead at the weekend, dpa reported.
"The chancellor demands in all clarity that President (Bashar) al-Assad immediately end the use of violence against his own people," said Merkel's spokesman Christoph Steegmans.
Merkel also demanded that the Syrian leadership "respect the people's right to express their opinion in demonstrations, and finally seek a serious dialogue with peaceful demonstrators and opposition groups."
The crackdown by security forces over the weekend represented a "new quality of Assad's apparatus of repression," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer.
Berlin is pushing for greater European Union sanctions against the Syrian government, Schaefer added. Further measures could include a blacklist of officials who would face EU travel bans and asset freezes.
The United Nations Security Council was due to discuss events in Syria on Monday. The meeting was called by Germany, which has just ended its one-month leadership of the body.
Berlin hopes recent developments will persuade other members of the Security Council to pass a resolution condemning the actions of the Syrian government, Schaefer said. These included India, South Africa and Brazil, who had so far opposed such a resolution.