France has described as a “scandal” the failure of the United Nations so far to agree a resolution against the violent crackdowns on dissidents in Syria. “I think it’s a scandal not to have a clear position of the UN in such a terrible crisis,” French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told reporters on Sunday on a visit to Australia. He made the comment when asked about Russian resistance to a draft resolution late last month that called for sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “We think that the regime has lost its legitimacy. We think that it’s too late to implement a level of reform. We should adopt in New York a very clear resolution condemning the violence,” Juppe added. Syrian demonstrators have demanded international protection to stop civilian killings in what has become one of the most violent responses to protest of the “Arab Spring” uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa.