A Chinese envoy sent to discuss ways to end the crisis gripping Syria was to discuss a six-point peace plan with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and opposition figures on Wednesday, a newspaper reported.

Li Huaxin, quoted in al-Watan daily, said he already met on Tuesday with Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmad Arnus to discuss "the six-point vision of China" on the year-old bloodshed in Syria.

Russia's presidential polls won by Vladimir Putin were an "insult to civil society" due to mass violations, an activist group fronted by celebrities said Wednesday, refusing to recognize the results.

"Due to widespread violations, we consider it impossible to recognize the results of the presidential elections," the League of Voters said in a statement after Putin's crushing victory in Sunday's polls.

Russia on Tuesday warned the West that it was "wishful thinking" to expect Moscow to change its stance on the Syria crisis following Vladimir Putin's presidential election victory.

A sharp and even bitingly sarcastic foreign ministry statement dealt a blow to hopes Russia will distance itself from the Syria regime as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov heads to talks with Arab foreign ministers on Saturday.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on neighboring Syria on Tuesday to allow the immediate opening of humanitarian aid corridors.

"Humanitarian aid corridors must immediately be opened," Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his AKP party, urging the international community to put pressure on Damascus to allow the delivery of relief supplies to civilians.

The United States on Monday urged Russia to conduct an "independent, credible" probe of election results that swept Vladimir Putin back to the Kremlin, amid widespread reports of irregularities.

But U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, without mentioning Putin by name, also said the United States "looks forward to working with the president-elect after the results are certified and he is sworn in."

Russian police Monday arrested over 500 people protesting Vladimir Putin's crushing victory in elections that the opposition denounced as illegitimate and international monitors said were skewed.

Western powers reacted warily to the prospect of Putin returning in a May inauguration to the Kremlin for a six year term from his current job as premier, urging a full investigation into the reports of violations.

The European Union on Monday urged more international action on getting humanitarian aid into Syria and called for Russia to recognize the need for new Syrian leadership, as Paris urged Vladimir Putin to mark his return to the Russian presidency by dropping Moscow's support for the Syrian regime.

"We need to see some action on Syria from the international community in order to get humanitarian aid that's so desperately needed into Homs right now," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters in Prague.

Russian election monitors Monday sorted through thousands of complaints of alleged fraud in presidential polls, as they complained of pressure and even beatings during their work.

"The situation is really difficult," said Grigory Melkonyants, deputy head of Golos monitoring group, which fielded thousands of volunteers and took 14,000 calls from voters complaining about perceived fraud.

Western powers greeted Vladimir Putin's presidential election victory with resignation Monday, while leaders in Asia and the Balkans openly congratulated the Russian strongman on his return to the Kremlin.

The European Union's chief diplomat Catherine Ashton said the bloc merely "took note" of the outcome of Sunday's vote while there were assurances from the EU's most powerful members that they wanted to work with Moscow.

Russia will meet with foreign ministers of Arab states to discuss the Syria crisis in Cairo on March 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

"I especially value today's chance to prepare for a meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia and the Arab League states that will be held in Cairo on March 10," news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying after talks with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh.