"If the French government is not serious in its fight against terrorism, we will not waste our time collaborating with a country, government or an institution that supports terrorism," he said in the interview carried out the day after Friday's deadly attacks in Paris, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
"You have to first change policy so that it is based on one criteria, to be part of an alliance that joins countries only fighting terrorism and not supporting them."
Assad, battling a multi-pronged insurgency against his rule, repeated that he had always said he was ready to be part of an international coalition against terrorism and that it was up to Syrians to decide their future through the ballot box.
France has called for a global alliance against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (also known as Daesh), which claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks.