LOC17:54
14:54 GMT
PARIS, May 29 (KUNA) -- France said on Wednesday that it remains "mobilised" in the UN Security Council to try to get a de-escalation of violence in the Idlib region of Syria and it also put Syria's allies on notice about their responsibilities for respecting an agreed cease-fire in northwest Syria.
"France has marked its deep concern in the face of the ongoing offensive in Idlib Province and with the intensification of strikes by the regime and its allies, including against civilian and medical infrastructure," the Foreign Ministry said in answer to questions in a briefing.
Regime forces, backed mainly by Russia, have been carrying out a growing number of air strikes against Idlib and Hama, causing a mounting toll of civilian victims and imperiling three million trapped and defenceless civilians.
"France underlines the special responsibility obliging the Syrian regime's allies in preserving a lasting cease-fire in Idlib," the ministry continued.
Russia and Turkey last year brokered a de-escalation agreement for the Idlib zone, a deal that more or less held until the start of the recent offensive several weeks ago.
Paris said on Wednesday that in a recent conference call President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin "to keep his commitments on maintaining the cease-fire" Moscow had helped put in place.
"The pursuit of hostilities compromises the search for a credible and negotiated political settlement, in conformity with United Nations Security Council resolution 2254," the Foreign Ministry added.
Meanwhile, France said it was working in the UNSC to support de-escalation in Idlib and "to ensure the protection of the civilian populations of Syria."
Separately, a day earlier French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he had "an indication" that is under verification that Syrian regime forces have used chemical weapons in the Idlib conflict. The US has made the same claim and warned of a swift reaction to any Syrian WMD use.
France has also set out chemical weapons use as a "red line" that could provoke a unilateral strike by the French military, according to statements made by President Macron some time ago. (end)
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