Fabius Says Assad 'Butchering' Syrians, 'Must Leave'
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday Syrian President Bashar Assad was "butchering his own people" and that the sooner he leaves the better.
"France's position is clear: we consider Assad to be butchering his own people. He must leave, and the sooner he goes the better," Fabius told reporters at the Zaatari refugee camp, which houses around 6,000 Syrians in northern Jordan.
"We are, at the international level, encouraging the Syrians to find a political transition. I stress that a political transition must come soon -- this is the obvious solution."
Fabius and his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh toured the seven-square-kilometer (two-square-mile) camp, outside the northern city of Mafraq.
"This political transition must unite the Syrian people and guarantee the rights of minorities. It is essential that it be representative of Syria as it is today," he told a joint news conference.
"We sincerely hope that a transitional government can be put in place as quickly as possible -- one that the leading countries of the world will recognize -- and that this will enable the Syrians to hasten the fall of Assad, which has become a clear necessity."
French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday Paris was committed to finding a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
At the desert refugee camp, Fabius visited a French field hospital, which was dispatched to the kingdom on Sunday along with tones of aid and medical equipment.
He also met U.N. officials and spoke with Syrian refugees.
On a regional tour, Fabius arrived Wednesday in Jordan, which is hosting more than 150,000 Syrians, and was to meet King Abdullah II later Thursday.
Source: Agence France Presse
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