Gulf nations pull ambassadors from Syria
Assad seems to have lost almost all his friends. Russia and China however still support him.
(CNN) — An alliance of Arab countries and several European nations announced Tuesday they are calling their ambassadors home from Damascus, big steps in a broad international effort aimed at sending a blunt message to Syria.
Three days after Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have demanded Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stop the violence against the opposition in his country, world leaders were finding other ways of trying to pressure the regime.
The Gulf Cooperation Council announced its member states are pulling their ambassadors and expelling the Syrian ambassadors in their countries. The council includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.
The decision came “with deep sorrow and anger” at the increased pace of killings in Syria “that did not spare a child, old man, or woman,” the council said in a statement. The Gulf nations believe that Arab countries at a meeting next week of the Arab League “should take decisive action against this dangerous escalation against the Syrian people,” the statement said.
Spain, France and Italy called home their ambassadors as well. Britain did so on Monday, the same day the United States closed its embassy in Damascus, saying the Syrian government was refusing to address its security concerns.