France, Turkey believe situation in Syria "untenable"

The French and Turkish governments, who are in close consultations, believe the violence in Syria is "untenable" and are pushing for tougher sanctions and UN action regarding the Syrian regime, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Thursday.Speaking on "France Inter" radio, Juppe also called on the Syrian opposition movements not to stray from the path they adopted at the outset and not to use force."We call on the opposition ... to refuse violence," Juppe said in the interview.France's chief diplomat met Wednesday evening in Paris with opposition Syrian National Council leader Burhan Ghaliun and said he would broach the issue of setting up "humanitarian zones or corridors" for Syrian refugees when he talks with European Union nations.These zones would be on the Turkish border with Syria and could inflame tensions as Turkey has been highly critical of the Damascus regime during this crisis in which over 3,500 people are believed to have died.Juppe said the international community should "accentuate sanctions" and he noted France was working with the Arab League, Turkey, and all countries in the region."France and Turkey believe the situation is untenable," Juppe remarked, praising the Turkish "mediation" efforts in the crisis.He said that work was ongoing in the UN to get a resolution on Syria. Such efforts in the Security Council have been stymied by Russia, which still supports the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, but France and others have resorted to the UN General Assembly to get support.Juppe stressed Thursday that military operations against civilian areas in Syria were ongoing at this time, with attacks against mountain villages in the north of the country.