French ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bertrand Besancenot said that the aerial bombardment of Aleppo by the Assad regime and Russia represents the biggest crime against humanity. Besancenot stressed the need for the United Nations to intervene in order to force Russia to stop the bombing of Aleppo. Moscow is responsible for the consequences of crimes committed in Syria as such acts are against peace and against a political solution, Besancenot added.
Alawsat newspaper on Wednesday quoted the French ambassador as saying that France called on the United Nations to demand that Moscow respect and implement the UN Security Council resolutions regarding the protection of civilians in Syria; the delivery of humanitarian aid; and the serious support for a political solution in Syria without giving Bashar al-Assad a role in Syria’s future.
Besancenot pointed out that French-Russian disagreements over Syria stem from Russia’s vague explanation why it is concentrating airstrikes on civilians and the Free Syrian Army groups in Aleppo. He added that Russia’s behavior in Syria is inconsistent with efforts to fight terror, warning that such behavior threatens to impede the fight against ISIS and to prolong the life of the Assad regime which uses the fight on terror as an excuse to target civilians in liberated areas.
Answering a question about the proposal France has recently made for de-escalation of the situation in Aleppo, Besancenot said that Paris urged the UN to take more practical and effective steps to stop the crimes against humanity committed by the Russians and the Assad regime in Aleppo. He added that the French ambassador to the UN called on the international organization to show a firm stance towards the situation in Aleppo instead of just issuing statements.
Besancenot stressed the need for a comprehensive and unified international strategy in terms of coordination and exchange of information to counter and contain terrorist activities. He renewed France’s commitment to the fight against ISIS in Syria, but not in the manner Russia has adopted. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Alsharq Alawsat)
