President Nicolas Sarkozy declared Friday that France cannot stand silently by and allow Syrian leader Bashar Assad to put down the pro-democracy revolt in his country.

"We cannot accept the ferocious repression by the Syrian leadership of its people, a repression that has led the entire country into chaos, and a chaos that will help extremists of all kinds," he said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held talks Friday with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas focused on efforts to kick start stalled peace negotiations with Israel.

Abbas told Medvedev in opening remarks at the Russian president's suburban Moscow residence that the Palestinians "will always draw upon your advice and the favorable approaches proposed by the Russian Federation."

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three policemen in the center of southern Yemen's largest city, Aden, on Friday, police said.

The assailants opened fire at a police checkpoint before torching a police vehicle at the scene and fleeing, the source added.

Human Rights Watch called Friday for the Arab League to publish a keenly awaited report on its much criticized observer mission to Syria and seek U.N. sanctions over the persistent bloodshed.

In an open letter to Arab foreign ministers ahead of a meeting on Sunday at which they are to decide whether to extend the mission for another month, the New-York based watchdog said the observers' presence had failed to stop the Damascus government's deadly crackdown on 10 months of protests.

Thailand said Thursday that it has recognized a Palestinian state, in a move hailed by Palestinian leaders eager to boost their international standing amid a stalemate with Israel.

Thailand has "officially recognized the state of Palestine and officially informed all permanent and observer missions to the United Nations in New York of this development," a press officer for Thailand's mission said.

A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck the area of the city of Neyshabour in northeast Iran on Thursday, injuring at least 100 people and damaging several houses, state media reported.

The jolt hit at 1235 GMT, the reports said.

The United Arab Emirates on Thursday welcomed Iran's softer tone on the key Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world's oil passes, saying such attitudes "must prevail."

"I welcome the comments by my Iranian counterpart" Ali Akbar Salehi, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan told reporters.

The Israeli army on Thursday arrested the Palestinian parliamentary speaker, Hamas member Aziz Dweik, in the West Bank, a senior colleague told Agence France Presse.

Dweik was detained by soldiers at a checkpoint in Jabaa, between Ramallah and Jerusalem, as he was traveling to Hebron in the southern West Bank, the leader of the cabinet, Bahaa Youssef, told AFP.

NATO is not planning or even "thinking" of intervening in Syria, the alliance's most senior officer said Thursday, days after a top Russian official said such plans were in the making.

"There is no planning and we are not thinking about an intervention," General Knud Bartels, head of NATO's Military Committee, told a news conference after a two-day meeting of the alliance's military chiefs.

Syrian state news agency SANA on Thursday quoted President Bashar al-Assad as rejecting any foreign intervention.

"The Syrian people are attached to their unity and Arab identity despite all the difficulties, and understand the breadth of the plots against their security and cohesion," he was quoted as telling a group of people opposed to outside intervention.