France's Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Tuesday called for the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to be prosecuted for ordering the use of chemical weapons and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrians during the country's civil war.
Colonna hit out at Assad during an interview with the French broadcaster France 2.
She said that the 57-year-old should be put on trial and added: "The battle against crime, against impunity is part of French diplomacy."
Assad last week returned to the geopolitical scene with an appearance at a summit of the Arab League in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. It was a first appearance at the regional bloc in a decade.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who opened the summit, acknowledged the painful years of struggle in Syria and added that he hoped the country’s rapprochement would bring greater stability to the region.
Salute
Pro-Assad social media users hailed Assad’s visit as a victory. They shared images of him smiling and shaking hands with fellow Arab leaders.
Despite the incipient rehabilitation, Colonna said the French government would not be changing its policy towards the Syrian ruler.
🇸🇾🗣 "C'est un dirigeant qui est depuis plus de 10 ans l'ennemi de son peuple. Tant qu'il ne changera pas, il n'y a pas de raison qu'il redevienne un interlocuteur pour la France"
— Telematin (@telematin) May 23, 2023
Catherine Colonna sur Bachar al-Assad. #Les4V @MinColonna pic.twitter.com/dHskq30oFE
"We have to remember who Bashar al-Assad is. He's a leader who has been the enemy of his own people for more than 10 years," she said.
A lifting of European Union sanctions on the Syrian regime was not planned, she added.
"So long as he doesn't change, so long as he doesn't commit to reconciliation, to the fight against terrorism, the fight against drugs ... so long as he doesn't fulfil his commitments, there's no reason to change our attitude towards him," Colonna said.
"I think it's up to him to change, it's not up to France to change our attitude," she added.
