- Title: France's Ayrault says everything must be done to stop "massacre in Aleppo"
- Date: 23rd October 2016
- Summary: GAZIANTEP, TURKEY (OCTOBER 23, 2016) (REUTERS) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-MARC AYRAULT, DISEMBARKING FROM PLANE AND SHAKING HANDS WITH OFFICIALS AYRAULT WALKING PAST CAMERA VARIOUS OF AYRAULT AND FRENCH DELEGATION ARRIVING AT REFUGEE CAMP KINDERGARTEN VARIOUS OF REFUGEE CHILDREN SINGING FOR AYRAULT AYRAULT VISITING AN EXHIBITION AT THE CAMP PAINTINGS ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-MARC AYRAULT, SAYING: "The international community and France in particular must do everything to stop this massacre. Everything must be done to stop this massacre. The bombings have restarted after a pause of several days. The aim seems to be to make Aleppo fall but what is the human price of this? And also to conquer other territory which is currently in the hands of the opposition." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET AT CAMP (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-MARC AYRAULT, SAYING: "We have just learned that the use of chemical weapons has been confirmed by a United Nations commission of inquiry. France hopes that, based on this report, the Security Council will adopt a resolution to condemn the use of chemical weapons by the regime and also by Daesh (Islamic State)." CHILDREN AT THE CAMP
- Embargoed: 7th November 2016 16:25
- Keywords: Syria France refugees Aleppo foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault
- Location: GAZIANTEP, TURKEY
- City: GAZIANTEP, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015586ERR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The international community must do everything it can to stop the killing in Aleppo, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told reporters in southeastern Turkey on Sunday (October 23).
The battle for control of the northern Syrian city intensified with air strikes, ground offensives and shelling on Sunday, the morning after a resurgence in fighting ended a Russian ceasefire, a monitor and rebel groups said.
"Everything must be done to stop this massacre. The bombings have restarted after a pause of several days. The aim seems to be to make Aleppo fall but what is the human price of this? And also to conquer other territory which is currently in the hands of the opposition," Ayrault told reporters.
Aleppo has been a major battleground in the Syrian conflict, now in its sixth year. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by the Russian military, Iran's Revolutionary Guards and an array of Shi'ite Muslim militias, wants to take full control of the city.
Russia had declared a unilateral ceasefire from Thursday which was rejected by rebels, lasted three days and did not result in hoped-for medical evacuations from the city or aid deliveries.
Air strikes within the city stopped for three days, but resumed late on Saturday as the third day of the truce expired.
Ayrault also called on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning the use of chemical weapons in the conflict.
An international inquiry found Syrian government forces responsible for a third toxic gas attack, according to a confidential report submitted to the Security Council on Friday, setting the stage for a showdown between Russia and western council members over how to respond.
The fourth report from the 13-month-long inquiry by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical weapons watchdog, blamed Syrian government forces for a toxic gas attack in Qmenas in Idlib governorate on March 16, 2015, according to a text of the report seen by Reuters. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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