Merkel and Sarkozy Address Syria, Greece and French Election PARIS - The leaders of Germany and France, meeting here on Monday, pledged not to allow Russia and China to block international action to stop the bloodshed in Syria, and promised to help the Syrian people. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France also called for Greece to come to terms quickly with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund on cuts to its budget, or face default on its debts. The two leaders said it was "a scandal" that China and Russia had vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Saturday that would have condemned the Syrian government's violence. Mr. Sarkozy said he and the French prime minister, François Fillon, would speak to their Russian counterparts, Dmitri A. Medvedev and Vladimir V. Putin, about the matter on both countries" behalf. "Germany and France will not abandon the Syrian people," Mr. Sarkozy said at a joint news conference with Mrs. Merkel. We will not accept the inaction of the Security Council. Mrs. Merkel also used strong language. "We are not only disappointed but appalled that the United Nations resolution was not adopted," she said. Russia must truly consider whether it is weighing the consequences of these decisions, and whether it wants to have a policy in contradiction with the Arab League. Mrs. Merkel signaled some exasperation with the Greek situation as well. She made it clear that Europe was losing patience with Athens, where politicians are arguing over whether and how to respond to demands by the country's foreign lenders - the European Central Bank, European Commission and the International Monetary Fund. The lenders, known collectively as the troika, want the Greek leaders to take more steps to cut spending and revive the Greek economy before they hand over nearly $171 billion in new loans meant to stave off a disorderly default and sustain Greece's membership in the euro zone. "We want Greece to stay in the euro," Mrs. Merkel said, but she added: "I want to make clear once again that there can be no deal if the troika proposals are not implemented. They are on the table; time is of the essence. Greece announced Monday that 15,000 government jobs would be eliminated this year, though the administrative reform minister, Dimitris Reppas, did not provide further details. Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Sarkozy proposed setting up a restricted account for some bailout funds to ensure that the interest on Greek debt is paid to creditors, a signal of mistrust in the Athens leadership. With Spain, Portugal and Italy all trying to make cuts and structural changes to reduce their own debt, a Greek collapse could have a devastating impact on market confidence in Europe's ability to handle its problems. "A lot is at stake for the entire euro zone," Mrs. Merkel said. But Greece is worn down by a long recession, and further cuts are deeply unpopular with voters. The Sarkozy-Merkel meeting also had an important political aspect, with the first round of the French presidential election due on April 22. Mrs. Merkel appeared in a joint television interview with Mr. Sarkozy on Monday and plans to campaign for him once he declares his candidacy for re-election. "I support Nicolas Sarkozy on all levels, because we belong to political parties that are friends," Mrs. Merkel said cheerily, noting that Mr. Sarkozy had done the same for her in 2009. Mrs. Merkel made her endorsement personally and as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, and did not mean that Germany would interfere in the election, her party spokesman, Georg Streiter, said in Berlin. Mr. Sarkozy's main rival, the Socialist candidate François Hollande, is likely not to appreciate the distinction, especially since Mrs. Merkel came to Paris with several ministers for a regular Franco-German joint cabinet meeting. The Socialists have accused Mr. Sarkozy of putting off the formal announcement of his candidacy to misuse the pomp and prestige of the presidency for political purposes. Mr. Hollande joked Monday in Dijon that "Mrs. Merkel has every right to support N. Sarkozy - she's giving herself a tough task!" But he added that if he becomes president, he would have no problem working with her. Mrs. Merkel said that she does not plan to meet Mr. Hollande, who is leading in opinion polls, during the campaign. She has expressed concern about some of his policy positions. Mr. Hollande has said he wants to renegotiate a German-driven European Union pact on fiscal discipline, and objects to rules that would limit national budget deficits. While he promises to reduce France's deficits on the same timetable as Mr. Sarkozy, he also intends to spend more while taxing more, and to expand public payrolls rather than reduce the size of the state relative to the economy, policies that meet with German skepticism.