Syria accused US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of "incitement" after she maintained Mr Assad had lost legitimacy and the right to remain in power.

"Syria vigorously condemns the remarks of the US secretary of state that amount to further proof of the flagrant interference of the United States in the internal affairs of Syria," said its foreign ministry.

"These remarks are an act of incitement aimed at continuing the internal crisis and for objectives which do not serve the interests of the Syrian people or their legitimate ambitions."

Mrs Clinton's comments came after mobs besieged the US and French embassies on Monday after the ambassadors of the two Western countries last week travelled to the flashpoint protest city of Hama, north of the capital.

"President Assad is not indispensable and we have absolutely nothing invested in him ... remaining in power," she said. "From our perspective, he has lost legitimacy."

About 200 independent MPs and members of Mr Assad's Baath party, which has been in power since 1963, took part in the talks, but opposition figures boycotted in protest over the deadly crackdown.

Activists say 1,300 civilians have been killed and 12,000 arrested since mid-March.

Germany said on Tuesday it would push for a UN Security Council resolution condemning Syria over the crackdown, after France renewed its demand the council take a stance.

"We should not forget: hundreds of thousands normal people, young people demonstrating for their own freedom," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.

"What has happened in the last days and hours shows us that the common language of the international community is necessary, is decisive, is crucial," he told journalists in New York.

Earlier, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said: "France and other European countries have submitted a proposed resolution to the UN Security Council, which has been blocked by Russia and China.

"This is no longer acceptable," he said, branding the attack on his government's Damascus embassy, in which three French personnel were wounded, "extremely violent" and warning Mr Assad's regime was losing its grip.

On Monday, three staff were injured in the attack on the French embassy in Damascus, forcing guards to fire three warning shots

As Syrian security forces looked on, Mr Assad's supporters smashed their way into the French embassy compound with a battering ram, broke windows and destroyed the ambassador's car, according to a foreign ministry spokesman in Paris.

Last week, the French and US ambassadors to Syria made high-profile visits to the restive city of Hama.