France's president, Francois Hollande says any Security Council resolution on Syria must include the threat of sanctions to be effective.
As war rages in Syria, French President Francois Hollande holds a news conference at the UN where he is calling for a Security Council resolution that has the threat of sanctions.
(SOUNDBITE) (French) FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE, SAYING:
"Regarding the chemical issue, we want the resolution - that will voted in a couple of days - to be binding, that it must say that in the event of a breach, there can be sanctions applied under Chapter 7. If the resolution is not binding, it will not be efficient regarding the ability to comply with the commitments."
Hollande says it is not enough to just condemn the violence.
(SOUNDBITE) (French) FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE, SAYING:
"It's not just about talking, about discussing the situation in Syria, about deploring the number of victims, but it is about organizing the transition that is a government that would represent all of the communities, all the sensibilities willing to participate in the renewal of Syria."
Earlier this month, U.S. President Barack Obama stepped back from launching unilateral military action against Syria, setting in motion a diplomatic effort that led to Russian assistance in persuading Syria to agree to give up its chemical weapons after a poison gas attack last month that U.S. officials say killed more than 1,400 people.
Diplomats say negotiations on a draft in New York have come to a standstill while Russia and the United States struggle to reach an agreement that would be acceptable to both.
