Hollande: 'Still Time to Avoid Civil War in Syria'

There is still time to find a political solution of the Syrian crisis and avoid a civil war in the country, French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday. "We have to find a political position that avoids civil war. There is still time, it is high time," Hollande said in his Bastille Day interview. The French leader also urged Russia and China not to oppose UN sanctions against Syria. "I told to Putin that I respect their (Russian-Syrian) commercial and historical ties but the worst thing that could happen is a civil war in Syria," Hollande was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying. Moscow and Beijing have twice vetoed Security Council resolutions that so much as hinted at sanctions again the Assad government. The 15 UN Security Council member states began talks on Thursday on a Syria resolution designed to force the government of President Bashar al-Assad and opposition forces to lay down arms and begin negotiations to end the 17 months of violence in Syria.