Juppe: It is a sad day for Syria

Russia will not support a European-drafted UN resolution on Syria, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, calling the draft "unacceptable" but not revealing whether Moscow would veto it In Paris, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said a compromise reached late on Monday on a resolution had now broken down, with Moscow vowing to deploy its veto.

"The latest news on Syria is that once again Russia has threatened to use its veto," Juppe told parliament's foreign affairs committee. The 15-nation UN Security Council is due to vote on Tuesday on the resolution condemning Syrian President Bashar Assad's six-month-old crackdown on protesters demanding an end to his 11-year rule. 

The United Nations says at least 2,700 civilians have been killed in the unrest, which Syria blames on foreign-backed armed gangs who it says have killed 700 security forces personnel.

Juppe said France was hopeful Russia could be talked around but he also felt the current resolution did not go far enough. 

"There is a specific point that is unacceptable and I have instructed my UN ambassador on this and that is that we put the regime and the rebels on the same level," Juppe said.

France has been one of the strongest voices pushing for a UN resolution to stop the bloodshed in Syria.