PARIS: France said on Friday that military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime may take place by Wednesday and a British parliamentary vote against strike in Syria will not affect its stance regarding giving punishment to Assad’s government for an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people.
In an interview to the Le Monde daily on Friday, French President Francois Hollande said that France wanted firm action against the Damascus regime.
Hollande said that the British Parliament’s withdrawal from the proposed action against Syria would not affect France’s resolve. “Each country is free to choose whether to take part in such an operation or not. That holds true for Britain and France,” he said.
The French leader ruled out strikes while the United Nations inspectors were in Syria investigating the alleged attack. According to UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon, the inspectors would leave Syria by Saturday morning.
The French parliament is due to meet on Wednesday for an emergency Syria session.
