German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said he’s against foreign military intervention in Syria to stop violations of human rights in the country, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported today.

To stop the killing in Syria, a no-fly zone would not be enough and the deployment of tens of thousands of ground troops may be required, the newspaper cited de Maiziere as saying in an interview. At the moment that’s neither “doable nor justifiable,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rainer Buergin in Berlin at rbuergin1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net