PARIS (Sputnik) — French authorities are ready to exert pressure on the allies of the Syrian government, including Russia, to extend the ceasefire in the war-torn country and deliver humanitarian aid to the people in need, French President Francois Hollande said Wednesday.
"France will do its best to put pressure on supporters of [Syrian President Bashar Assad]'s regime to ensure the extension of the ceasefire, deliveries of humanitarian assistance and a political transition in the end," Hollande said at a press conference.
The five-year conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of thousands of people and displaced millions more. The international community has undertaken steps to end the Syrian conflict and to solve the humanitarian crisis in the Middle Eastern country.
On September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry unveiled a peace plan to address the conflict. The ceasefire deal was later shattered by numerous violations, which resulted in intensified fighting between the Syrian government and militants in Aleppo. The Syrian government has announced an end to the ceasefire regime, while Russia said that the United States failed to fulfill its obligation to separate terrorist groups from moderate opposition.
