French FM says al-Assad should be prosecuted
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – In a televised interview on May 23, France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be prosecuted for chemical weapon attacks and the killing of hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
The remarks were made less than a week after al-Assad was welcomed back into the Arab League, a regional diplomatic body.
“We have to remember who Bashar al-Assad is. He’s a leader who has been the enemy of his own people for over 10 years,” the French government official said.
“So long as he doesn’t change, so long as he doesn’t commit to reconciliation, to the fight against terrorism, the fight against drugs … so long as he doesn’t fulfill his commitments, there’s no reason to change our attitude towards him,” Colonna said.
The French ambassador to the United Nations had warned against normalizing relations with Damascus in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake on February 6.
European Union (EU) sanctions against Syrian government officials would remain in effect, she added.
The EU previously said Arab states should not accept an unconditional rapprochement with al-Assad.
“I think it’s up to him to change, it’s not up to France to change our attitude,” the French Foreign Minister added.