France will remain ready to punish Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons despite ongoing attempts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis, French President Francois Hollande said Wednesday.
US President Barack Obama postponed his threat to carry out missile strikes against Syria after the government said Tuesday it would sign the UN treaty banning chemical arms.
"France remains determined to punish the use of chemical weapons by Bashar al-Assad," government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem told RFI radio. "The military option is indeed under consideration if the current diplomatic procedures fail. It is not a hypothetical threat."
Paris put forward a draft UN Security Council resolution on Tuesday setting out the terms for the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons and warning of "serious consequences" if it resisted, something that Russia has indicated it would not support.