France says Turkish action in Syria risks escalation there

PARIS (Reuters) - Turkey's military push into northern Syria risks causing an escalation of the conflict, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday, calling on all parties to end fighting and a return to peace talks for the country. Hollande told a gathering of French ambassadors that almost a year after Russia intervened behind the regime of Bashar al-Assad, "today it is Turkey that has made the choice to deploy its army on Syrian territory to defend against Daesh (Islamic State)." "Those multiple, contradictory interventions carry risks of a general flare-up," Hollande said. He said that was understandable after attacks the country has suffered, but that Turkey was also taking aim at Kurdish forces who are fighting Islamic State with the support of the anti-Assad coalition of which France forms a part. Hollande also said Russia must not ignore reports of chemical weapons attacks undertaken by the Syrian government and asked it to support France's call for a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning them. (Reporting by Andrew Callus and John Irish; Editing by Ingrid Melander)