France's Foreign Minister endorses Syrian opposition

PanARMENIAN.Net - France's Foreign Minister gave a strong endorsement to the opposition Syrian National Council on Wednesday, November 23, and said he would seek EU-backed humanitarian corridors for Syrians amid a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.

According to AP, after a meeting with its leader, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called the Syrian National Council "the legitimate interlocutor with whom we want to continue working."

He said France would seek formal recognition for the group by the Arab League and other allies.

The Council's leader, Burhan Ghalioun, interpreted the French comments as a victory. "We cannot have greater, more important recognition than what the minister just said. ... We have been recognized," Ghalioun told reporters afterward.

France, Syria's one-time colonial ruler, was the first country to formally recognize Libya's opposition early in Muammar Gaddafi's crackdown on protests, and France played a prominent role in the NATO-led campaign of air strikes against Qaddafi's forces.

On Syria, France appears to be taking a slightly more cautious path.

"The military option is not on the agenda," Juppe said Wednesday, focusing instead on diplomatic efforts. "An armed reaction could provoke a real civil war inside Syria and that could be the worst situation for the country."

"At the request of the Syrian National Council, we will ask our European partners about the possibility of launching humanitarian operations to alleviate the suffering of the population," Juppe said. "Should we create humanitarian corridors, or humanitarian zones?"