An Arab League (AL) proposal to send a joint UN-AL peacekeeping force to Syria has drawn a mixed response from the international community, with some countries warning that the move could backfire and further stoke the violence.

Divergences emerged during a meeting in Cairo over the AL proposal calling for deployment of a joint peacekeeping force, highlighting rifts among countries in the handling of Syria's crisis.

Syria rejected the decisions on Sunday, dismissing the move as "a blatant interference and an encroachment upon its national sovereignty," the state-run SANA news agency Monday quoted an unnamed official as saying.

One day earlier, Syria's ambassador to Cairo echoed his country's rejection of the decisions, which he said reflected the "hysteria" among some of the bloc's members after a UN resolution was vetoed.

Meanwhile, some countries voiced fears that such a move would fan the flames of war.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe Monday opposed the military option in Syria, which he said would escalate violence in the unrest-hit country.

"We think that today any foreign military intervention would only aggravate the situation, particularly as there will be no decision of the Security Council which is the only body able to authorize a military intervention," Juppe was quoted as saying by the local TV channel BFMTV.

Russia said it might study the proposal for the peacekeeping mission in Syria, but added that a ceasefire must be achieved before the deployment.

"To deploy a peacekeeping mission, there must be a consent for it from the host country. Besides, for a peacekeeping mission there should be peace to keep. In other words, a sort of ceasefire must be agreed," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference on Monday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said China called for and supported the AL's continued efforts at political mediation, which has played a proactive and constructive role with regard to a peaceful settlement of the Syrian issue.

"We believe the United Nations should offer constructive assistance on the basis of the U.N. Charter and the norms governing international relations," he told a daily news briefing.

"Relevant moves by the United Nations should be conducive toward lessening tension in Syria, pushing political dialogue and resolving differences, as well as maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East," he said.

Meanwhile, the European Union and the United States threw their support behind the peacekeeping proposal.

EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton Monday welcomed the decisions to increase international pressure on Syria.

"I welcome these decisions and the strong commitment and leadership that the Arab League is taking to resolve the crisis in Syria," Ashton in a statement.

She said the EU's first goal was an immediate cessation of violence. "Therefore I am very supportive of any initiative that can help achieve this objective including a stronger Arab presence on the ground in cooperation with the UN to achieve a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis."

The United States said it supported the AL's plan, but acknowledged challenges in securing UN approval for the peacekeeping mission.

"There are a lot of challenges to be discussed as to how to put into effect all of their recommendations and certainly the peacekeeping request is one that will take agreement and consensus," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

The AL has come up with the proposal after it suspended its observer mission last month, citing the escalating violence in Syria.