The ruler of the Gulf state of Qatar says Arab countries should send troops into Syria to stop government forces killing civilians.

The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, made the comments during an interview with an American news channel.

"For such a situation to stop the killing ... some troops should go to stop the killing," he said, when asked whether he supports Arab intervention.

Qatar's proposal to send Arab troops to Syria demonstrates the mounting concern over the killing of civilians.

It is the first time an Arab leader has publicly called for military intervention in Syria.

The comments by the emir, whose wealthy nation once enjoyed cordial ties with Damascus, came amid increasing concern that a team of Arab League observers to Syria was failing.

The Arab League has despatched 165 observers to Syria to monitor compliance with a peace plan, but members have expressed doubts about its ability to be effective.

Last week, the head of the Arab League, Nabil al-Araby, warned that Syria may be sliding towards civil war.

"I fear a civil war and the events that we see and hear about now could lead to a civil war," he said.

"Any problems in Syria will have consequences for the neighbouring states."

Also last week, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, battling 10 months of deadly protests against his rule, gave his first speech in months, calling for general elections and saying "victory is near" if Syrians remain steadfast.

Mr Assad said "foreign planning" was behind the uprising but outside forces "did not find a foothold in the revolution that they had hoped for".

In August, Sheikh Hamad described the Syrian leadership's heavy-handed use of force against protesters as "fruitless", and urged serious reforms. Qatar then withdrew its ambassador from Damascus.

Qatar was the first Arab country to join the NATO-led operation in Libya.

It has also led regional criticism of the crackdowns on protesters by Mr Assad and in Yemen by president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Weapon supplies

Meanwhile, a US official said on Friday that Washington has reason to believe Iran is supplying security-related equipment "including munitions" to Syria in its crackdown.

The accusation came after the head of the elite Revolutionary Guards' Quds force, Qasem Soleimani, visited Damascus this month.

A Russian ship suspected of carrying munitions for Damascus arrived in the Syrian port of Tartus on "January 11 or 12," shipping expert Mikhail Voitenko said on Saturday.

Efforts to isolate Assad's government were boosted by rebel plans to form a high military council, headed by a top defector, to oversee military operations against the regime.

General Mustafa Ahmad al-Sheikh, the most senior commander to defect from the Syrian army, will announce the council's formation in Turkey, where he sought refuge 12 days ago, his media adviser said.

BBC/AFP