France says U.N. talks begin on Qaeda-linked Syria rebels

PARIS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council has begun informal talks on whether to impose sanctions on Syria's rebel al-Nusra Front after it pledged allegiance to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri this week, France said on Friday.

The militant Islamist element of the Syrian conflict poses a quandary for Western powers and their Arab allies, which favour the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad but are alarmed by Sunni Muslim jihadi fighters whose fiercely anti-Shi'ite ideology has fuelled sectarian tensions in the Middle East.