SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Syria deal not an end point: Hollande

The option of military strikes must remain on the table, says French President Francois Hollande of the Syrian chemical weapons deal.

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

The US-Russian deal to eradicate Syria's chemical arms arsenal is "not an end point", according to French President Francois Hollande.

The option of military strikes must remain on the table, he warned on Sunday.

Speaking live on TF1 television, Hollande stressed that the international community must prepare for the possibility of sanctions "in case of non-implementation of the accord" as part of a UN resolution that could be voted on within the next seven days.

"The military option must remain, otherwise there will be no constraint," he added.

His comments come a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov announced an ambitious deal to dismantle and destroy Syria's chemical arms stockpile by mid-2014.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The accord temporarily averts the threat of military strikes on Syria that France and the United States had initially touted as a way to punish President Bashar al-Assad's regime for a deadly poison gas attack on August 21 they blame on Damascus.

France was not part of the three-day negotiations between Kerry and Lavrov to reach the chemical arms deal, but has said its determination to stick to a firm line helped deliver the progress achieved in Geneva.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world