ITALY: Italy's ambassador to Syria recalled, sending a signal of condemnation to President Bashar al-Assad after the army's crackdown in Hama

Record ID: 279207

  • Title: ITALY: Italy's ambassador to Syria recalled, sending a signal of condemnation to President Bashar al-Assad after the army's crackdown in Hama
  • Date: 3rd August 2011
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (AUGUST 2, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF LOWER CHAMBER OF PARLIAMENT
  • Embargoed: 18th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy, Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Reuters ID: LVACVHY87D8UHAW1JGG82YRLLA2F
  • Story Text: Italy recalled its ambassador from Syria on Tuesday (August 2) in protest at the "unacceptable repression carried out by the Syrian regime" and urged other European Union members to do the same.
    Italy's move to recall ambassador Achille Amerio from Damascus was announced by the foreign ministry's under-secretary Stefania Craxi, during a government address on Syria to the Italian Lower Chamber of Parliament.
    "I am in contact with (Italian Foreign) Minister (Franco) Frattini who is currently exploring all the most fitting possible moves and who has decided to recall our ambassador (to Syria), for consultations, to send a message of condemnation for the unacceptable repression carried out by the Syrian regime" Craxi said.
    The EU formally added five more Syrian officials to an existing list of 29 individuals headed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom the 27-nation bloc has targeted with asset freezes and travel bans.
    The five include Defence Minister Ali Habib, the head of internal security and the intelligence chief in Hama, which the EU says was the scene of a civilian "massacre" at the weekend.
    Human rights campaigners said assaults by Assad's forces on Monday (August 1) and Tuesday had killed at least 27 civilians, including 13 in Hama, where troops began a violent operation to regain control on Sunday.
    That brought the total to about 137 dead throughout Syria in the past three days, 93 of them in Hama.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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