France Says Hizbullah, Iran Must be Stopped before Aleppo
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
France on Wednesday urged the international community to stop the progression of Syrian troops, backed by Hizbullah fighters and Iran, towards the strategic northern town of Aleppo.
After winning a strategic victory by retaking Qusayr, an important town near the border with Lebanon, Syrian troops are now focusing their attention on Aleppo as they continue to gain ground against the rebels.
"We must stop this progression before Aleppo. It is the next target of Hizbullah and of the Iranians," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on France 2 television.
"We need to re-balance things because over the past few weeks the troops of Bashar Assad (Syrian leader) and especially Hizbullah and the Iranians, along with Russian arms, have gained considerable ground."
But he did not expand on how Syrian troops, buoyed by military support from its allies Hizbullah and Iran, should be stopped.
On Tuesday, France's foreign ministry warned that the nearly 27-month Syrian conflict, which is estimated to have killed at least 94,000 people, was at a "turning point."
"What should we do under these conditions to reinforce the opposition armed forces? We have had these discussions with our partners, with the Americans, the Saudis, the Turks, many others," said ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot.
"We cannot leave the opposition in the current state."
The European Union, under pressure from London and Paris, last month failed to renew an arms embargo on Syria, leaving individual member states free from August 1 to supply weapons to the opposition, if they decide to do so.
Fabius said France had not yet decided what to do after the deadline.
"Bashar... used chemical weapons in an outrageous manner. We must stop him because, if there is no re-balancing on the ground, there will be no peace conference in Geneva as the opposition will refuse to come," he said.
The United States said it is evaluating information received from France which Paris has billed as proof that chemical weapons have been used in Syria.
The United States and Russia are meanwhile trying to organize a peace conference bringing together Assad's regime and the rebels in a bid to end the fighting.
Amid wrangling between opposition leaders and a fierce debate over who should attend, the date for the talks initially slated for May has now slipped back to July at the earliest.
12 June 2013, 13:57
95
Lol: "Bashar... used chemical weapons in an outrageous manner." What does that even mean?
12 June 2013, 14:12
83
Fraaance ...
"It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt" - Mark Twain
12 June 2013, 14:46
43
This bastard of Fabius should go and get laid, a small dog who listen to his master voice, and wants to destroy the whole Middle East for the sake of Israel.People should understand this and those manipulators.
12 June 2013, 15:16
38
hizbushaitan baby killers lovers;
go and count the body bags f your fellows dying in Syria.
videos of the hizbushaitan dead baby killers surfaced on youtube. you know the one talking about the ambush of a few days ago near Damascus.
mmore to come.
hizbushaitan Is going to be tracked everywhere.
12 June 2013, 15:57
34
you are the only ones talking about victories :)
we talk about innocent people being slaughtered by your hizbushaitan.
12 June 2013, 16:57
34
Should I remind you of the numerous massacres of this regime since 27 months?
are you blind or you want to be blind?
furthermore, numerous videos on youtube show hizbushaitan tracking civilians fleeing from qusayr and murdering them. maybe if you look them up you will see the light!
no one can defend these murderers. extensive proofs f what they are doing is there for the whole world to see.
12 June 2013, 15:17
54
We have had enough of France' colonialism, it is time that colonial France should stay out of our internal affairs. France must remember that we not one of her ex-African colonies. Her chronic hatred to us because we kicked her out of Syria still boils in her colonial mentality. What is going on in Syria and Lebanon is non of her business.
12 June 2013, 16:35
14
France is powerless alone.... They cannot do anything unlike the past centuries where they ruled over many Asian, African, Latin America/carreabean and even nort America. Now they're nothing and their passport isn't worth much.
12 June 2013, 20:41
01
Mali campaign was not unilateral. I heard other European nations helped them for the logistics.
12 June 2013, 18:17
13
U noticed he said "re-balance", not tip the balance to the rebel side. They want a civil war, no victors allowed. Like us :)
12 June 2013, 18:23
12
Gadafi was not aligned to any major power, and Libya did not host a Russian military base, hence no assurance of protection.
Also, Libya was not protected by Iranian and Russian radar systems. Of course it's no match to the west, but it won't be as easy as Libya was. And the west is not ready to start a war with Iran.
12 June 2013, 18:28
11
Syria is not a desert. And a war with Syria means a war with Iran. France is not up for that.
Anyway, ur assuming they want the war to end. He said France wants to "re-balance" the forces on the ground, not end the war.
Assad is done. Now it's a war for leverage during any future settlement talks.
12 June 2013, 19:05
41
I don't speak for the US population but as an American Citizen I want my government to leave the middle east completely alone. Regardless of which side, our Mideast Policy stinks form here to high heaven. We have no business meddling in other countries affairs and wherever we rush in like fools we leave a bloody mess in our wake. We should only be providing humanitarian aid to those who need it. We should only get involved militarily in any conflict when that conflict poses a direct threat the security of the United States and its allies.
12 June 2013, 20:43
10
God bless you for this word of wisdome. The reputacion of America would be completely different without the Monroe doctrines among other war hawks leading the pentagon.
13 June 2013, 01:56
11
Agreed until your last line "and its allies". America has allies that are a threat to world peace and justice.
12 June 2013, 19:07
42
I don't speak for the US population but as an American Citizen I want my government to leave the middle east completely alone. Regardless of which side, our Mideast Policy stinks form here to high heaven. We have no business meddling in other countries affairs and wherever we rush in like fools we leave a bloody mess in our wake. We should only be providing humanitarian aid to those who need it. We should only get involved militarily in any conflict when that conflict poses a direct threat the security of the United States and its allies.
13 June 2013, 12:45
00
Good people, the hatred of US and its allies towards Muslims will never end untill you join them. As always they will destroy muslims country by country, tribe by tribe while you are watching. US and allies war to them is a big business. You can please them as you wish. go to their countries you will called terrost
