France warns against dismemberment of Syria due to divisions

France on Thursday warned against any efforts to break-up Syria as a national entity and accused the regime of sowing divisions between the different components of Syrian society in order to stay in power.  "France and the international community are very attached to the integrity and unity of Syria," Vincent Floreani, deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a briefing.  Floreani warned that the ongoing repression decided by the Damascus regime was feeding risks to the unity of Syria.  "The longer the crisis goes on, the more the risks increase for development of tensions," he cautioned.  France urged the badly-divided Syrian opposition movement to unite behind Syrian integrity and unity.  "We encourage the Syrian opposition, which has shown several times its attachment to the unity of the Syrian people and the integrity of its territory, to unite behind respect for democratic principles, human rights and those of minorities," the official stated.  On Wednesday, in front of the UN General Assembly, French President Francois Hollande made an impassioned plea to the international community to act to halt the Syrian conflict and he said he would immediately recognize a provisional Syrian government once it is proclaimed, a position he already took at the end of August.