FRANCE: Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says he wants to work with Syrian opposition but says he's keen to avoid civil war in the country

Record ID: 280074

  • Title: FRANCE: Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says he wants to work with Syrian opposition but says he's keen to avoid civil war in the country
  • Date: 24th November 2011
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (NOVEMBER 23, 2011) (REUTERS) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER ALAIN JUPPE ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE WITH SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL CHAIRMAN BURHAN GHALIOUN (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER ALAIN JUPPE SAYING: "What we have commented since the beginning of this crisis, is the courage of the Syrian people which refuse violence and any armed answer to t
  • Embargoed: 9th December 2011 12:00
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  • Location: France, France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVABWED6QNHWMEQAMDJEZ8JMLPSA
  • Story Text: France considers the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) a legitimate partner with which it wants to work and it is seeking its international recognition, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Wednesday (November 23), adding that he was keen to avoid civil war breaking out.
    Following talks with the Burhan Ghalioun, the head of the Syrian National Council, Juppe was asked at a news conference if he would back the arming of army rebels.
    Answering in English, the foreign minister said: "What we have commented since the beginning of this crisis, is the courage of the Syrian people which refuse violence and any armed answer to the repression of the regime," he said.
    "And I think it's necessary to stick to this line, to this approach, because an armed reaction could provoke a real civil war in Syria and could be the worst situation for the country," he added.
    France, the first Western country to recognise Libya's opposition, has been championing the cause of pro-democracy protesters in Syria, leading calls for a U.N. Security Council resolution to condemn the government's bloody crackdown on them.
    Paris recalled its ambassador from Syria on Nov. 16 after an escalation of violence there and has closed down diplomatic missions in Latakia and Aleppo as well as all cultural activities in Syria.
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