France: No solution unless Assad leaves

French President Francois Hollande insisted yetsreday that there can be no political solution for Syria unless President Bashar Assad steps down from power.
There “cannot be a political solution without the departure of Bashar Assad,” Hollande told the new UN peace envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, in a meeting, according to a statement issued by the Elysee.
Hollande reiterated France’s “commitment to a Syria that is free, democratic and respectful of the rights of each of its communities” and assured Brahimi of France’s support for his mission.
The new envoy meanwhile pointed out that France is an “important country on everything that is happening around Syria,” noting that it currently holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.
Brahimi, a veteran Algerian diplomat troubleshooter, was named recently to take over from Kofi Annan who quit because of the lack of international support for his peace efforts.
Brahimi, who has said he is not confident of being able to restore peace, warned on Sunday that it was now a matter of ending rather than avoiding a civil war in Syria after 17 months of bloodshed.
UN military observers departed Damascus yesterday after a four-month mission in which they became helpless spectators of Syria’s conflict, and activists said government forces launched air strikes near the capital that killed two dozen people.
Helicopter gunships attacked Mouadamiya and Daraya, suburbs south of Damascus, activists and residents said, giving casualty tolls that could not be independently verified.
Gunships also appeared to hit targets in the western Damascus district of Kfar Souseh, a housewife told Reuters by phone.