ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - France’s foreign minister on Tuesday said her country sees “no reason” to change its stance against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, adding that he must be tried for “hundreds of thousands of deaths” and “use of chemical arms.” “As long as he does not change, as long as he does not commit to reconciliation, to the fight against terrorism, the fight against drugs as well … as long as he does not fulfill his commitments, there is no reason to change our attitude towards him,” Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said during a television interview. The foreign minister’s comments come as Assad enjoys a return to the regional spotlight after he attended an Arab League summit last week for the first time since Syria was expelled from the organization over a decade ago amid the regime’s brutal crackdown on protestors during the ongoing civil war. When asked about whether Assad should be tried, Colonna said “the answer is yes.” “It should be remembered who Bashar al-Assad is, he is a leader who for over 10 years has been the enemy of his people. It should be recalled that there were hundreds of thousands of deaths … the use of chemical arms,” she added. Paris has also tried several loyalists of Assad’s regime for numerous charges including crimes against humanity.
