France urges early UN vote on tough Syria resolution
French President Francois Hollande called on Sunday for a UN resolution on Syria backed by the threat of punitive action to be voted by the end of this week.
Speaking on French prime-time television, Hollande added that while a political and diplomatic solution to the wider Syrian conflict was possible, the option of military strikes must remain on the table. Hollande called the Russia-US deal this weekend on removing Syria's chemical weapons an "important step" towards a possible political solution to its civil war. (Reuters)
