France’s Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has accused the Syrian government of carrying out “crimes against humanity”.
Syrian forces are continuing their crackdown on protests, launching a new assault on the city of Homs and killing seven people, according to activists.
Residents said the centre of Homs was sealed off, phone lines had been cut and gunfire was ringing out.
More than 2,200 people have been killed in five months of protest against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.
“The way [Syria has] suppressed the popular protests is unacceptable,” said Mr Juppe, according to the French AFP news agency.
He was speaking during a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
