The statement would again warn President Bashar al-Assad of possible "further measures" if he reneges on a promise to UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to start implementing Annan's six-point peace plan.
The United States and other western countries have expressed strong doubts that Assad will move to end the year-old crackdown on protesters and opposition groups in which the UN says more than 9,000 people have been killed.
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"Annan wants a statement by the council on the April 10 deadline, on the UN preparing an observer mission if there is a halt in hostilities and on the need to agree a political transition," said one UN diplomat.
The United States, Britain and France -- the three western permanent members of the Security Council -- will send out the draft presidential statement, which has a lower standing than a full council resolution, to all 15 members on Tuesday, the diplomat told AFP.
Negotiations could be held on Wednesday and the statement agreed on Thursday if there are no objections, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks are private.
Work started on the statement after Annan's briefing to the Security Council on Monday when he revealed details of the April 10 deadline that he says Syria has accepted.
If troops and heavy weapons are withdrawn Annan will call on the government and opposition groups to start a full cessation of hostilities 48 hours later, he told the council.
A presidential statement on Syria agreed this month warned of "further measures as appropriate" if Assad did not respond to Annan's peace plan. The new statement would contain the same warning, though no explicit threat of sanctions which can only go in a full resolution.
Diplomats said they expected tough negotiations with Russia over references to the April 10 deadline. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has spoken out strongly against imposing what he called "artificial" deadlines against Assad.
Russia and China have vetoed two resolutions on Syria. The council statement can only be adopted if there is consensus.
The Security Council was also told that it could take at least two months to get a full mission of about 250 observers into Syria if a ceasefire is declared, another diplomat said.
UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told the council that 100 observer troops could get into Syria in 45 days but the full force would take much longer because of the preparations needed, diplomats said.
Just the first 100 troops would need 40 armored vehicles.
Annan is to send a group of seven experts to Damascus this week to hold talks on the possible mission.
