President Francois Hollande maintained France's tough stance on Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad at the United Nations on Monday, insisting he has no role in a political solution to his country's crisis.

"Russia and Iran say they want to be part of a solution," he said, referring to Assad's main foreign allies. "So we must work with these countries to explain to them that the route to a solution does not go through Bashar al-Assad."