France says it will seek UN intervention, including the possibility of a military intervention, if Syria does not follow special envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that France could press for Security Council action under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, although Russia and China would most certainly veto any move against Bashar al-Assad.
Mr Juppe called for the deployment of 300 UN observers as authorised by Syria and said France has all but set a May 5 deadline for implementation of Mr Annan’s peace plan.
"We think this mediation should be given a chance, on the condition that the deployment of the observer mission happens quickly," Juppe said after a meeting with Syrian dissidents at his ministry. The plan isn't dead, he said, but "it is severely compromised."
If the peace plan fails, he added, "we would have to move to a new stage with a Chapter Seven resolution (which allows for action that could be backed by force) to stop this tragedy".
"We cannot allow ourselves to be defied by the current regime,"
