Annan plan 'should be compulsory'

France will propose giving the United Nations the power to enforce UN envoy Kofi Annan's Syrian peace plan, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday, adding that a no-fly zone was an option under consideration to stem what was now a civil war.

His comments were the toughest yet from a major power in response to the violence in Syria.

"We need to move up a gear at the Security Council and place the Annan plan under Chapter 7," which can authorize use of force, Fabius said. "That is to say, make it compulsory under the pain of very heavy sanctions."

France will propose toughening sanctions on Syria at the next meeting of European Union foreign ministers, he said.

Fabius said that one of the options under consideration at the council was a no-fly zone, after there were reports saying that Syrian forces using helicopter gunships to fire on rebel strongholds, and United States concern that Russia was supplying Damascus with more helicopters.

Syria's ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad said on Thursday: "Russia is not delivering any helicopters to Syria."

China said on Thursday that it disapproved of one-sided sanctions and pressure on Syria, calling on parties to fully support Annan's mediation efforts under the current circumstances.

"We believe that the international community's actions regarding Syria should be conducive to easing conditions there and conducive to a political solution to the Syrian crisis," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a regular news conference.

"China disapproves of the approach of leaning toward sanctions and pressure."

Asked about comments from other governments, including Russia, on whether they could accept President Bashar al-Assad stepping down, Liu said: "We have stated many times that China does not deliberately favor any side, and Syria's path of development and political system should be determined by the Syrian people."

Russia has proposed a broad international meeting on Syria. Liu said that China takes an active and open attitude toward relevant proposals and would like to keep communication with concerned parties.

The Syrian government said that it is still committed to Annan's six-point peace plan, which calls for both sides to lay down their arms and participate in a Syrian-led political transition, but it said it has the right to prevent attacks on military or state targets.

Reuters-China Daily