( CNN ) -- The Syrian vice president arrived Friday in Moscow to talk with Russia 's foreign minister about the unrest that has roiled Syria for months , a Russian state news agency reported . Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa was to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov `` to discuss ways for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in his country , '' the Itar-Tass news agency reported . His visit came on the same day that at least 23 people , including four children , were killed across Syria , according to the Local Coordinating Committees , a network of opposition activists that organizes and documents demonstrations . The dead also included four women , the group said . Ten died in Homs , four in Daraa , five in Hama , two in the Damascus suburbs and one each in Idleb and Deir Ezzour , it said . But the official Syrian Arab News Agency said its correspondents had quoted official sources as saying that no casualties had occurred during the day , `` although armed terrorist groups attacked law-enforcement members in some areas . '' Are you in Syria ? Share your experiences if you can safely . Russia has opposed sanctions on Syria on the grounds that such actions rarely yield results . Russia has also opposed calls for foreign intervention in Syria and has urged that country to accept international monitors . The United Nations says 5,000 people have been killed in months of unrest in Syria , where pro-democracy activists are calling for an end to the rule of President Bashar al-Assad . The Syrian government 's repression of unrest has triggered criticism from Western nations as well as from the Arab League , which expelled Syria last month and has been pushing to send monitors into Syria . At the United Nations , Russia introduced a draft resolution this week that , it says , `` considerably strengthens '' previous drafts `` with regard to the interest in violence , with regard to the need to uphold human rights , with regard to expediting reforms . '' The resolution `` strongly condemns '' violence `` coming from all parties , including disproportionate use of force by Syrian authorities . '' It also would `` give a strong message to the Arab League that we encourage them to continue their efforts , and working together with the government of Syria , and to carry out its plans to deploy the monitoring mission in Syria , '' Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Thursday at the United Nations . The draft does not include sanctions or an arms embargo . Germany 's U.N. ambassador , Peter Wittig , described the Russian draft resolution as `` insufficient '' but said it could be improved .
Syria : 23 people have been killed in Syria on Friday , activists say . NEW : State - run SANA says no deaths occurred . The Syrian vice president travels to Moscow for talks . Russia has opposed sanctions on Syria , and has supported a new U.N. resolution .