France condemns series of car bombs in Syria

The French government on Monday condemned the latest round of car bombings in Syria and stressed that Paris condemns all violence in that conflict, no matter what its origin. Reacting to questions on an upsurge in car bomb attacks in several areas over the weekend, Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot repeated that only a political solution with a transition of political power will stop the conflict. "France condemns all violence in Syria, no matter where it comes from. That includes the car bomb attacks yesterday in Damascus or today in Darkush where the civilian population is the first victim," Lalliot stated. He reiterated the position of Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who has stated that there can be no end to this crisis without a process for political transition. "That is the aim of the Geneva II Conference, which must lead to the installation of a transitional government equipped with all executive powers, including those of the Presidency," the French official said. France has frequently said that President Bashar Al-Assad must step down as part of any negotiated settlement to the conflict that erupted in March 2011 and has so far killed around 110,000 people and caused a huge humanitarian crisis in the region.