Putin, Hollande see differences on Syria sanction

PARIS - Visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Francois Hollande on Friday stressed the necessity of full implementation of UN resolution and Kofi Annan's plan, but saw sanctions against Syria in different ways.

"Mr Annan is a man of great experience and an honest man, and we must do everything we can to make sure his mission is successful. I believe it is counterproductive to say his mission is a failure in advance," Putin told reporters at a joint press conference with Hollande after the two leaders met on Friday night to find solution for Syia crisis.

However, the Russian president said imposing sanctions on the Syrian regime must be debated within the United Nations Security Council.

Putin admitted the possibility of the breakout of a civil war in the Middle-East country.

"The most important thing we need to do is to prevent the situation from developing under the worst scenario and not let a civil war take place," he said, noting that consultation and more efforts are needed "to solve, via political means, the problems we faced."

"We propose to act in an accurate, balanced manner... in Syria," he suggested.

Hollande, on his part, refused to rule out military intervention in solving crisis in Syria.

Recognizing "the risk of destabilization, the risks of civil war" in Syria, the French President insisted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's departure was a "prerequisite for a political transition" in Syria.