France says Syria is in a 'civil war'

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has said Syria is in a state of civil war.

Fabius told reporters at a Paris news conference that "if you can't call it a civil war, then there are no words to describe it".

He said Syria's president Bashar Assad should cede power to the opposition.

The minister's comments echo those made by the UN's head of peacekeeping Herve Ladsous yesterday.