France push for the relaunch of peace talks on Syria to pursue a political solution

Khaled Khoja, the head of the Syrian National Coalition, addresses reporters as he leaves the Elysee Palace following his meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris, Thursday March 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere) (The Associated Press)

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French President Francois Hollande, right, takes leave of Khaled Khoja, the head of the Syrian National Coalition, following their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, March 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere) (The Associated Press)

French President Francois Hollande, right, bids farewell to Khaled Khoja, the head of the Syrian National Coalition, following their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Thursday, March 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere) (The Associated Press)

PARIS – French president Francois Hollande has called for the relaunch of peace talks to pursue a political solution for Syria and blamed president Bashar Assad for the suffering of Syrian people.

Hollande met Thursday with the leaders of the Syrian Coalition, the main Western-backed opposition group. In a written statement, he said that Assad is "not a credible interlocutor" to prepare Syria's future.

Four French lawmakers went to Damascus last month and Assad had talks with three of them. The initiative has been strongly criticized by French government.

France has been a staunch supporter of the mainstream opposition forces trying to oust Assad in Syria's civil war. The last round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva has ended in failure one year ago.