Paris: SNC is Legitimate Representative of Syria Opposition
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe described the Syrian National Council (SNC) on Friday as "the legitimate representative" of the country's opposition, as he arrived for an international meeting in Tunisia.
"We consider the SNC as the legitimate representative of the Syrian opposition ... the pole around which the opposition must organize," he said, as he also "solemnly" urged Syria to allow for the evacuation of wounded journalists in Homs.
Juppe insisted that the opposition movement comprise all denominations, including Syria's Christians and Alawites, the minority community to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs.
"When this unity comes about we can make progress," he added when asked if France would formally recognize the SNC.
He expressed his anxiety for the journalists trapped in the besieged Baba Amr area of the city of Homs under the shelling of government forces, particularly wounded French reporter Edith Bouvier.
"I call very solemnly on the Syrian authorities to ensure that Ms. Bouvier receives the necessary care as quickly as possible," he said.
Bouvier and British photographer Paul Conroy were wounded in Wednesday's shelling and asked to be evacuated. French photojournalist Remi Ochlik and veteran U.S. war reporter Marie Colvin were killed.
Juppe said French ambassador Eric Chevallier, who returned to Syria more than two weeks ago following his recall in response to the government's crackdown on dissent, had not been authorized by Damascus to go to Homs.
He said talks were under way with the Red Cross and Red Crescent on the situation of the journalists in Homs.
Representatives of more than 60 nations gathered in Tunisia for the first Friends of Syria conference, amid continuing violence in Homs and a growing global outcry over the deaths of thousands of civilians.
But the conference of Arab and Western foreign ministers was marked by the absence of Russia and China -- highlighting the difficulty in building an international consensus on the crisis.
