UNITED NATIONS, September 23 (Sputnik), Leandra Bernstein — Establishing a cessation of hostilities in Syria remains a chief objective for France despite recent challenges, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told Sputnik on Friday.
“France, first, does not renounce to find conditions for a ceasefire. It is our priority,” Ayrault said, adding that France will “stay mobilized” to find a solution.
“I think the proposal of France must be studied — a mechanism to observe the conditions on the ground of a ceasefire,” Ayrault said of the shaky ceasefire in Syria. “France made a proposal to define confidence. It is a problem, the problem of confidence.”
“I spoke this morning with [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov and I said to him, it is not too late to find a solution,” Arnault said.
On Thursday, Ayrault took part in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The group’s co-chairs, Russia and the United States, were unable to reach a new Syrian ceasefire agreement, following the Syrian army announcement of ending the truce on Monday.
Ayrault stressed that France is “very, very engaged for peace,” noting that he will meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201609231045647530-ceasefire-syria-france-priority/
