Syrian diplomats have been expelled from embassies across the world in protest at the massacre of Houla, as international pressure on President Assad’s regime intensifies.
Britain, France, Germany and Australia have all announced the expulsion of several Syrian diplomats from their countries, with the United States, Spain and Italy expected to do the same.
The move comes as China announced on Monday, that it “condemns in the strongest terms the cruel killings of ordinary citizens” and urged the implementation of UN envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan. Annan met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier on Tuesday, and is expected to give a full press conference later.
Commenting on expulsions, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stated,
Australia’s Foreign Minister Bob Carr earlier commented,
Britain, France, Germany and Australia have all announced the expulsion of several Syrian diplomats from their countries, with the United States, Spain and Italy expected to do the same.
The move comes as China announced on Monday, that it “condemns in the strongest terms the cruel killings of ordinary citizens” and urged the implementation of UN envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan. Annan met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier on Tuesday, and is expected to give a full press conference later.
Commenting on expulsions, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stated,
“Bashar al-Assad is the murderer of his people. He must relinquish power. The sooner the better."After speaking with British Prime Minister David Cameron regarding Syria, recently-elected French President Francois Hollande slammed the “murderous folly” of the Assad regime, stating,
“This is not a unilateral decision but in consultation with our partners.”Hollande also announced that France would host a “Friends of Syria” meeting in Paris, in early July.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Bob Carr earlier commented,
"The Syrian charge has again been advised to convey a clear message to Damascus that Australians are appalled by this massacre and we will pursue a unified international response to hold those responsible to account"
"In doing this we are more or less moving with our friends around the world. I expect other countries will be doing this overnight Australian time,"The Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan also commented on the massacre at Houla saying,
"To carry out this kind of murder...while the United Nations observer mission is carrying out its mission in Syria is torture, it is wretched,"
"There is also a limit to patience, and I believe that, God willing, there is also a limit to the patience in the U.N. Security Council,"Meanwhile, Syria's UN envoy Bashar Jaafari continued to deny the government’s role in the killings, labelling the accusations a "tsunami of lies".
