France's Foreign Minister endorses Syrian oppositionNovember 24, 2011 - 10:53 AMT 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?" Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |