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France's Hollande says U.S. "response" to Syria must be pursued within UN framework

Xinhua, April 7, 2017 Adjust font size:

French President Francois Hollande on Friday said the U.S. military response to alleged use of chemical arms in Syria must be pursued under the helm of the United Nations.

"Today, there was a new use of chemical weapons and the Americans decided to strike military facilities in Syria. It was a response. It must now be pursued in the international framework of the United Nations, if it's possible," Hollande said.

French president recalled that France had been seeking U.S. missile strikes in 2013 after a previous chemical attack in Syrian province of Al Ghouta.

However, he added along with military option, "France will, with its European partners, take every initiative to restart the political transition process in Syria."

In a visit to Ardeche, south central France, French president said he called a defense council Friday to discuss ways to extend punitive action over Syrian government's "apparent use of toxic gas attack on civilians."

The U.S. military on Thursday launched a targeted missile strike at a Syrian military airfield in its first direct assault on the army of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since Syrian crisis began six years ago.

The strike was ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, said a Pentagon statement, adding that the assault was in response to the alleged Syrian government's chemical weapons attack on Tuesday in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun, which killed over 70 people and wounded scores of others, most of whom were civilians.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said early on Thursday that the Syrian airstrike on a rebel-held town in Idlib Province struck a rebel depot containing chemical materials, denying that the air force fired toxic gas during the attack.

In a previous press conference held to comment on the global accusation of Syria's allegedly firing toxic gas on Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday, al-Moallem said the news reports are "lies."

After the U.S. strike, Syrian state TV called the assault an "aggression".

Moscow considers the U.S. missile strike as an "aggression against a sovereign state" under a far-fetched pretext, saying it violates international law, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday. Endit