South Africa is blocking a US proposal at the UN Security Council to unfreeze $1.5bn of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's assets so they may used by the victorious rebel leadership for development and humanitarian work.

South Africa says it will approve $500m for urgent humanitarian assistance, but not the rest, because the National Transitional Council has not been recognised by the UN itself.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a “two-week unilateral ceasefire” with rebels in the troubled state of South Kordofan, during an unannounced visit to the state's capital of Kadugli.

Bashir’s declaration was described by BBC’s correspondent as catching “his own military - and the rebels they are fighting - by surprise”.

The move follows pressure from both the US and the UN, who are pushing for an independent investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, as detailed by a UN report.

Bashir did go on to say that not a single foreign agency would be allowed into the region, contradicting an earlier acceptance by his government to allow UN agencies access to South Kordofan.

It comes days after talks between President Bashir and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) failed to reach a solution to end the crisis.

A European and US draft resolution will call for UN Security Council sanctions against the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad and several other top officials, council diplomats told Reuters on Monday.

More than 2,200 people have been killed in a five-month-old crackdown by Syrian forces against widespread anti-government protests that have gripped the country.

See Reuters' report here.

The draft would also call for a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The resolution's drafters are the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Portugal.

The five Western powers hoped to circulate a draft to the other 10 council members. Once it reaches the full 15-nation council, there will be further negotiations and the text will likely be revised.

Last week the UN’s human rights chief, Navi Pillay, recommended the Security Council refer Syria's crackdown to the ICC saying the government may have been guilty of crimes against humanity.

China has urged Libya to protect its investments after a rebel member was quoted as saying the new regime would have problems working with countries that did not back the rebel movement from the beginning of the uprising.

Reuters reported an official of the National Transitional Council (NTC) at a Libyan oil firm in control of the rebels as saying: “We don't have a problem with western countries like the Italians, French and UK companies. But we may have some political issues with Russia, China and Brazil."

China has responded by calling on the NTC to protect its investments and pointed out that the agreements in place would benefit both countries.

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) has launched a new commission of inquiry into Syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters, including possible crimes against humanity.

See reports by Al-Jazeera and BBC.

The European Union extended its sanctions on Syrian officials and businesses, but stopped short of imposing a full oil embargo on Damascus.

However, a diplomatic source told AFP:

“We are in a process of working through what further tools we want to use.”

Libya’s rebels took control of most of Tripoli in a lightning advance Sunday, celebrating the victory in the city’s symbolic Green Square, as Muammar Gaddafi’s defences collapsed with little resistance.

The rebels were welcomed by thousands of jubilant civilians who rushed out of their homes to cheer the long convoys of pickup trucks packed with fighters, who linked up with comrades said to have infiltrated the city in recent days.

“We strongly support Commissioner [Navi] Pillay’s recommendations, including immediate, unhindered access for humanitarian assistance and ongoing human rights monitoring as well as for an independent inquiry to hold perpetrators of violence to account. We urge all members of the UN Security Council to join us in pressing for implementation of these recommendations.”

The call for an investigation comes as a report by the Satellite Sentinel Project, has uncovered evidence of more mass graves in South Kordofan.

“The air strikes launched by Turkey against Kurdish bases across the border [in Iraq’s Kursish region] are part of a misguided strategy aimed at eliminating an entire people.

“Turkish leaders now seem to have discarded dialogue in favour of what has been described as a “Tamil solution” to the Kurdish question. This will lead to disaster for the country and more death and destruction for a region that is already in flames.”