Syria today suspended diplomatic co-operation with France's efforts to end the political crisis in Lebanon.
Paris has accused Damascus of not backing a deal that could allow Lebanon to elect a new president and end the opposition boycott of the government.
Last week French President Nicolas Sarkozy ended diplomatic contacts with Syria over what he said was its failure to work for a consensus solution to the two-month stand-off over who should be the next president.
Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moualem responded today saying "it seems that the French want to blame Syria for their failure".
He said Syria, which backs the Lebanese opposition led by the Shi'ite Hezbollah movement, had made efforts to find consensus, including convincing opposition politicians to accept General Michel Suleiman as president.
The presidential election has been postponed 11 times because the anti-Syrian coalition and the Damascus-backed opposition are at odds over how to share power once Mr Suleiman becomes president.
Parliament will try once more to confirm him on January 12th but looks unlikely to succeed as there is little sign of reconciliation between the rival sides.
Mr Moualem said Syria had agreed with France on a compromise that would give the Hezbollah-led opposition veto power in a new cabinet but that Saad al-Hariri, who leads a majority parliamentary bloc, refused to agree.
Mr Hariri described Mr Moualem's remarks as a "dangerous message towards Lebanon". "We fear that it turns into a message of threat and menace and a plan to destroy internal stability," he said.
In Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said France's freezing of political contact with Syria would last until Damascus "demonstrates its good faith".
The crisis pits the pro-Western government against opposition groups backed by Syria and Iran. Paris has been leading efforts to mediate a settlement of the latest crisis and had offered to raise levels of diplomatic and economic cooperation with Syria in return for its help.
Ties between the two countries deteriorated following the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, which eventually led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon after a 29-year presence.