PARIS, (Reuters) – French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Friday that France was pushing for a United Nations Security Council resolution laying out sanctions against Syria and condemning use of violence against civilians there.
He also said France would develop contacts with the opposition in Syria. “Our objective is to obtain a resolution at the security council condemning the use of violence against civilians and organizing a regime of sanctions,” Juppe told an annual conference of French ambassadors in Paris.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged European and other countries on Thursday to impose more sanctions on the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying more pressure was needed to force him to step down in response to more than five months of popular protests.