France deploys military medics to help Syrian refugees

Decision to deploy medical team was made with full consent of Jordanian authorities.

PARIS: France will immediately deploy military surgeons and medics to Jordan's border with Syria to help care for a flood of Syrian refugees, President Francois Hollande's office said Monday.

The decision to deploy the medical team was made with the full consent of the Jordanian authorities, Hollande's office said, adding that the team would establish its medical facilities by the end of the week.

"The military doctors and surgeons, augmented by civilians, are going to help combat victims and refugees who are currently fleeing Syria's conflcit zone," a statement said.

At the same time France is "stepping up its diplomatic action in favour of a political transition in Syria which is the only way to put a definitive end to the violence in the country," a diplomatic source close to the presidency told AFP.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will visit Jordan on August 15, the communique said.

Earlier Fabius said the defection of Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab was another sign of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad weakening and losing support.

"France is convinced the Assad regime is doomed," he said in a statement.

Several hundred thousand Syrian refugees have sought shelter in neighbouring countries, including 120,000 who are registered with the United Nations refugee agency.

In addition, a million or so Syrians are internally displaced, the president's office said.

The main opposition coalition the Syrian National Council on Monday urged supporters to provide humanitarian aid to networks of local activists, saying such assistance is otherwise being diverted by Assad's regime.