FRANCE 24 / AP – French President Francois Hollande urged Syria’s divided opposition to form a provisional government, promising that France would recognize it in hopes of upping the pressure on President Bashar Assad’s regime as the violence escalates in the Arab country. The French leader, clearly frustrated with reticence from China and Russia in crafting a tougher tack against Assad at the United Nations, staked out unprecedented terrain to jolt the opposition into unity.
Hollande’s appeal to the opposition underscores the belief in many diplomatic circles that a credible alternative to Assad’s regime must take shape first in order to expedite his exit – an outcome France, the U.S. and many other Western powers have sought for months… (more)
