France summons Syrian ambassador: foreign ministry

PARIS: France summoned Syria's ambassador in Paris to the foreign ministry Wednesday to repeat its demand that Damascus halt the use of military force against political protests, the ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told AFP that Ambassador Lamia Shakkur was meeting with Foreign Minister Alain Juppe's chief of staff.

"We wanted to remind her of our condemnation of the escalating repression, our demand for an end without delay to the use of force against the population and our demand that all political prisoners be freed," he said.