France calls for interim Syrian government as refugees flee Syria
Syrians inspect damage at the site of a car bomb in the mainly Druze and Christian suburb of Jaramana on the southeastern outskirts of the Syrian capital on August 28, 2012.
French President Francois Hollande on Monday urged Syria's splintered opposition to form a provisional government, pledging to recognize it once it was formed, according to The New York Times.
Hollande also stated that France would view any use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as justification for military intervention, even without a United Nations Security Council resolution. The Times noted that Hollande's statements represented the most forceful call by a Western nation for Assad's ouster and for the opposition to unite.
Twelve people were killed in Damascus by a car bomb on Tuesday as fighting continued in other parts of the country, according to the BBC. More than 200 people were reported killed over the weekend in the town of Darayya, the latest in a series of alleged massacres.
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Meanwhile, the United Nations refugee agency warned on Tuesday that the number of refugees fleeing to Turkey could reach 200,000, with many others fleeing to neighboring Jordan, according to Reuters. Reuters noted that just in the past 24 hours, more than 3,000 Syrians crossed into Turkey.
"The increase in the number of Syrians arriving in Turkey has been dramatic. Compared to previous weeks in which we saw about 400-500 people arriving a day, we've been seeing peaks of up to 5,000 people in one day over the past two weeks," said Melissa Fleming, chief spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
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The Associated Press estimated that around 10,000 refugees were waiting on the Syrian side as Turkey rushed to build more camps.
Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday, "Turkey is carrying out its humanitarian duties toward the Syrian people with whom it has historic brotherly ties," according to the AP. "On the other hand, the increasing numbers are becoming an encumbrance. The international community must help share this burden."