French issued a firm statement after sectarian clashes that caused casualties in the Syrian coastal provinces
On Saturday, France strongly condemned sectarian abuses targeting civilians and prisoners in Syria, after more than 500 Alawite civilians were killed by Syrian security forces and groups supporting them.
In a statement issued by the French Foreign Ministry, France called on the Syrian transitional authorities to ensure independent and transparent investigations to uncover the details of these crimes and punish those responsible.
The French Foreign Ministry reiterated the need for a peaceful and comprehensive political transition, away from any foreign interference, to preserve ethnic and sectarian pluralism in Syria, stressing that this step is the only way to avoid the disintegration of the country and the escalation of violence, calling for all efforts to be made to achieve this goal.
In contrast, the Syrian authorities announced on Saturday that they had reinforced the presence of security forces in the coastal region in the west of the country, and imposed control over the areas that had witnessed violent clashes over the past two days, the most severe since the fall of Bashar al Assad on December 8.
According to sources in Syria, around 530 civilians from the Alawite sect have been killed in the Syrian coastal areas and the Latakia mountains by security forces and groups supporting them since Thursday.
The death toll since the clashes began has risen to 745 people, including 213 from both sides, including 93 of the security forces in the Syrian ministries of interior and defense, in addition to 120 militants loyal to Assad.
As the clashes subsided on Saturday, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported that security forces had increased their deployment in the cities of Baniyas, Latakia, and Jableh to maintain security and restore stability in the region.
Tensions began on Thursday in a predominantly Alawite village in the Latakia countryside, after a wanted man was arrested by security forces, and the situation later developed into clashes when Alawite gunmen opened fire.
