French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Syria Tuesday to pressure Hamas to cooperate with international efforts to return quiet to the Gaza region. Following a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Sarkozy told reporters, "I recognize Syria's importance in the region and its influence on a number of parties.

Referring to Assad's role, he added, "He can convince Hamas to choose reason, peace and reconciliation with Palestinians caught between two camps." Assad labelled Israel's counterterror operation as "criminal", "barbaric" and "agressive".