Russia calls for increasing the number of foreign observers in Syria amid an ongoing standoff between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.

“I would speak for increasing rather than reducing the number of observers,” Lavrov said, commenting on the decision by some Arab countries to recall their representatives from the Arab League mission currently working in Syria. Lavrov said this decision, made simultaneously with the decision to extend the mission's work in Syria for another month, raised questions.

The minister also said Russia would like to get acquainted with a report prepared by the mission's observers, arguing that apparently some of the report's information was missing in a document, which Arab League foreign ministers are expected to submit to the UN Security Council early next week, according to RIA Novosti.

The Arab League has put forward a plan calling for a national unity government to be created in Syria within two months to implement a peaceful handover of power from embattled President Bashar al-Assad to his deputy.

Russia has been one of al-Assad's staunchest supporters during the more than ten-month uprising against his regime. Moscow has proposed its own draft UN resolution on Syria, but Western members of the Security Council have criticized it as too soft.