France indicated Thursday that it would consider supporting a partial no-fly zone over Syria, turning the screws on President Bashar al-Assad\'s regime as fighting rages in Damascus and second city Aleppo. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian however warned that shutting all of Syria\'s air space would mean \"going to war\" and would require a willing international coalition that has not yet materialized. Speaking on France 24 television, Le Drian called for considering a partial closure of Syria\'s air space, as suggested by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. \"A possible delimited zone around which there could be a ban of some sort, such as suggested by Hillary Clinton, should be studied,\" he said. Le Drian said a \"global no-fly zone\" over Syria was ruled out as it would be tantamount to grounding all Syrian aircraft, which could not be done unless there was \"an international coalition capable of doing it.\" Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also indicated separately in a press conference that France was weighing a possible no-fly zone. In his interview, Le Drian stressed that France would not accept a political transition in Syria without Assad stepping down. \"His departure comes first,\" he said.\" The French defence chief also stressed that France would not get involved without a UN mandate. \"We would only be able to intervene in Syria... if there are international legal norms,\" he said. \"Without international legal norms, we can\'t do anything.\" Clinton said earlier this month that the issue of imposing safety and no-fly zones around ravaged cities such as Aleppo \"need greater in-depth analysis.\" She said Turkey and the United States had agreed to deliberate further moves. Syrian ally Russia has rejected the proposal.
GMT 01:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
Trump 'imitates' Modi's accent in private conversation: ReportGMT 21:24 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Puigdemont accuses EU of not defending rights in CataloniaGMT 21:18 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Vietnam oil exec 'kidnapped' from Germany jailed for lifeGMT 21:08 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Turkey in new assault on Kurdish militiaGMT 21:04 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Turkey detains 24 over 'terror propaganda'GMT 20:52 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Dawoodi Bohra leader arrives in DubaiGMT 22:09 2018 Monday ,22 January
Israel apologises to JordanGMT 16:11 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Pope condemns criminals in crime-stricken Peruvian city

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor