The United Nations Human Rights Council voted Friday to ask for an investigation into whether human rights violations have been committed in Syria, where a government crackdown on protesters has reportedly left more than 300 people dead, dpa reported.
The request to "urgently dispatch a mission" to Syria will be sent to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, the council's resolution - drafted by the United States - says.
The Geneva-based council would like a first oral report on the inquiry at its session in early June.
The Syria text approved by the council through a 26-9 vote - with Russia and China among the opposition - also makes a general reference to military intervention.
The council reaffirmed that "all UN member states shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state."