This satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows the Him Shinshar Chemical Weapons Storage Facility in Syria on Saturday, April 14, 2018, following a U.S.-led allied missile attack. U.S., French and British warplanes and ships launched more than 100 missiles nearly unopposed by Syrian air defenses early Saturday. (Satellite Image ©2018 DigitalGlobe via AP) THE DIGITALGLOBE WATERMARK MAY NOT BE REMOVED
Republished April 15, 2018 - 3:06 AM
Original Publication Date April 15, 2018 - 1:56 AM
BEIRUT - France is urging Russia to join a push for a political solution in Syria after joint U.S., French and British attacks on Syrian chemical weapons sites.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview published Sunday in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that "we should join our efforts to promote a political process in Syria that would allow a way out of the crisis."
France has continued to talk regularly with Russia even as East-West tensions have grown. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, hours before the Western missile strikes.
Western countries blamed Syria's government for a chemical attack on a rebel-held area earlier this month that killed more than 40 people. The Syrian government and its ally Russia denied the allegations.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018