The UN Security Council will start on a statement on the humanitarian crisis in Syria which could include a controversial call to allow cross-border aid missions.
Council members Australia and Luxembourg are pressing for the statement to follow a landmark Security Council resolution passed on Friday, allowing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons.
Australia is targeting agreement by Wednesday when it hands over the rotating council presidency to Azerbaijan.
The United Nations says Syria is now the world's biggest humanitarian crisis with more than two million refugees outside the country and almost six million displaced inside.
The future of the statement will depend on the stance of Russia, the key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the informal talks to start on Monday, diplomats said.
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A draft statement obtained by AFP urges Assad's government to "take immediate steps to facilitate the expansion of humanitarian relief operations, and lift bureaucratic impediments and other obstacles".
Syria has blocked the work of aid groups wanting to send help to the country.
The government has restricted visas for UN and foreign aid groups operating within Syrian territory and set tough conditions for their aid deliveries, particularly inside opposition controlled areas, diplomats said.
The statement says the Syrian authorities must improve imports of equipment and allow "safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need through the most effective ways, including across conflict lines and, where appropriate, across borders from neighbouring countries".
UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has called on the Security Council to consider approving cross-border operations.
Private groups send or smuggle aid across the border, but the UN needs government permission.
The Syrian government has opposed aid deliveries from surrounding countries because it believes much of the aid would go to opposition areas, diplomats said.
