AlQa'dah 9, 1434, Sep 15, 2013, SPA -- French President Francois Hollande hasn't ruled out the "military option" against Syria, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry flies to Paris for talks Monday on how to rid Syria of its chemical weapons stockpile, AP reported. In a televised address Sunday night, Hollande said: "The military option must remain; otherwise there will be no pressure." France, which has been at the forefront of international diplomacy on Syria, firmly backs the oppostion fighters and has strategic and historic interests in the region. It urged military action after a chemical attack on Aug. 21 that Paris and Washington blame on Bashar Assad's government. The diplomatic breakthrough, which has been seen to avert the threat of U.S. military action against Syria, came Saturday after American and Russian diplomats in Geneva agreed on a plan for Syria's chemical weapons. France wasn't present. Hollande, Kerry, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and British Foreign Secretary William Hague will meet in Paris Monday to agree on a draft U.N. resolution that would set out how Syria can secure and destroy its stockpile.
