French foreign minister blames Assad for breaking truce in Aleppo
BERLIN (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said at the start of talks on the Syrian crisis in Berlin that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government bore full responsibility for undermining the ceasefire in Aleppo. "What is happening in Aleppo is a tragedy that requires a stronger reaction. It is a terrible drama that is happening there with victims, and the regime in Damascus bears full responsibility for what is happening and this means undermining the ceasefire, and goes all the way to destroying hospitals, killing women and children, civilians and doctors," he said. He also called for a meeting on Monday in France of 10 countries, including Arab states, involved in ceasefire talks, adding: "Everything must be done to get back to the ceasefire path." German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, hosting the talks which also include Syrian opposition figure Riad Hijab and the U.N.'s Syria envoy, said every effort had to be made to de-escalate the situation in Syria and there was no military solution to the crisis. (Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Paul Carrel)
