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| French foreign minister steps down with criticism of US resolve over Syria | French foreign minister steps down with criticism of US resolve over Syria |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The French foreign minister has questioned the US’s commitment to resolving the crisis in Syria, saying its “ambiguous” policy was contributing to the problem. | The French foreign minister has questioned the US’s commitment to resolving the crisis in Syria, saying its “ambiguous” policy was contributing to the problem. |
| “There are the ambiguities including among the actors of the coalition … I’m not going to repeat what I’ve said before about the main pilot of the coalition,” Laurent Fabius told reporters. “But we don’t have the feeling that there is a very strong commitment that is there.” | “There are the ambiguities including among the actors of the coalition … I’m not going to repeat what I’ve said before about the main pilot of the coalition,” Laurent Fabius told reporters. “But we don’t have the feeling that there is a very strong commitment that is there.” |
| Fabius separately announced on Wednesday that he was, as expected, leaving the French government, and said he did not expect US president Barack Obama to change his stance in the coming months. | Fabius separately announced on Wednesday that he was, as expected, leaving the French government, and said he did not expect US president Barack Obama to change his stance in the coming months. |
| “I don’t think that the end of Mr Obama’s mandate will push him to act as much as his minister declares [publicly],” he added, referring to the US secretary of state, John Kerry. | |
| “There are words, but actions are different and obviously the Iranians and Russians feel that.” | “There are words, but actions are different and obviously the Iranians and Russians feel that.” |
| In an attempt to prevent a collapse of diplomatic efforts to end Syria’s five-year-old civil war, Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid access before a meeting of the International Syria Support Group in Munich this week. | |
| But opposition delegates and many western officials see little hope of a diplomatic breakthrough while Russia continues to back a Syrian government push for a military victory. | But opposition delegates and many western officials see little hope of a diplomatic breakthrough while Russia continues to back a Syrian government push for a military victory. |
| Fabius, whose country has been a key backer of the Syrian opposition, said that ambiguity was contributing to the worsening situation. | Fabius, whose country has been a key backer of the Syrian opposition, said that ambiguity was contributing to the worsening situation. |
| An offensive by forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russian air strikes, against western-backed rebels has caused hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee rebel-held parts of Syria’s largest city, Aleppo. | An offensive by forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russian air strikes, against western-backed rebels has caused hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee rebel-held parts of Syria’s largest city, Aleppo. |
| “When you add [Assad’s] brutality, Russia and Iran’s complicity and the ambiguity, you get the drama taking place in Aleppo,” Fabius said. | |
| Fabius, 69, was France’s youngest ever prime minister when he was appointed, aged 37, in 1984. He is expected to take up a position as head of France’s constitutional court. | Fabius, 69, was France’s youngest ever prime minister when he was appointed, aged 37, in 1984. He is expected to take up a position as head of France’s constitutional court. |
| He was widely praised for his role overseeing the successful UN climate negotiations in Paris in December. | He was widely praised for his role overseeing the successful UN climate negotiations in Paris in December. |
| Speculation is rife over who could replace him as foreign minister, with the environment minister and former partner of François Hollande, Ségolène Royal, or previous prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, tipped as possibilities. |