The French President Francois Hollande does not exclude military intervention in Syria 3005121.

Syrian diplomats are being expelled from several western countries after a recent massacre left more than 100 people dead, many of them children. The killings in the Syrian town of Houla have caused international outrage. Britain, France and the US are among those now showing diplomats to the exit.

“Military action is not excluded, on the condition that it is done in line with international law,” Hollande said.

“It’s up to me and others to convince the Russians and Chinese, but also to find a solution that is not necessarily military,” he continued.

The crisis in Syria is one of the first diplomatic tests for Hollande after predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy's high-profile role in last year's crises in Libya and Ivory Coast. Hollande will meet Putin in Paris on Friday.

"It is not possible to allow Bashar Assad's regime to massacre its own people," Hollande told France 2 television, referring to Syria's president.

International envoy Kofi Annan has been meeting with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. He is trying to salvage a peace plan that many observers say is now in tatters. After the talks, Annan described Syria as being at “tipping point.”

“Words are wonderful but action is better. What is important is to demonstrate through action a real commitment to the plan. This is what the international community is asking for now – action, not words,” Annan said.

The Syrian regime maintains it had nothing to do with the massacre in Houla.