Hollande says Syrian defector Tlass in Paris

PARIS - French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday confirmed that Syrian defector and one-time close friend of Bashar al-Assad General Manaf Tlass was in France.

"We have been informed about this situation. He (Tlas) is here," Hollande said during a joint news conference with visiting Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki.

Manaf Tlass, a brigade commander of the Syrian Republican Guard, reportedly fled to Turkey earlier this month on his way to France where his father, who had served as defense minister in the administration of Assad's father, has also taken up residence.

During Tuesday's new conference, Hollande said violence in Syria was "unbearable" and "intolerable," urging Russia to stop blocking efforts for a UN resolution.

"We will continue to apply pressure because it is not acceptable that every day there are massacres that are plunging not only Syria but the entire region into instability," Hollande said.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on Wednesday on a Western-backed resolution that would impose tough sanctions against Syrian regime.