France calls for Syrian govt. downfall
Fri Jan 25, 2013 20:48:33
The French government voices dissatisfaction with the developments unfolding in Syria, calling specifically for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
“Things are not moving. The solution that we had hoped for, and by that I mean the fall of Bashar and the arrival of the (opposition) coalition to power, has not happened”, said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
In December 2012, Fabius had said that the “end is nearing” for the Syrian president. However, he remarkably shifted his stance on the crisis in Syria, stating that the efforts to oust the Syrian government were not getting anywhere.
France became the first European country to recognize Syria’s opposition coalition on November 13, 2012. Paris said it would look into the issue of arming the militant groups in Syria.
The so-called Syrian National Council (SNC) was formed in November 2012 with Western and Arab backing in Qatar after opposition groups signed a unity agreement to form a new leadership a