SYRIA: Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem apologises for attacks on foreign embassies that took place after his country's suspension from the Arab League

Record ID: 280047

  • Title: SYRIA: Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem apologises for attacks on foreign embassies that took place after his country's suspension from the Arab League
  • Date: 15th November 2011
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (NOVEMBER 14, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WALID AL-MOUALEM ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE AND TAKING SEAT JOURNALISTS SEATED MOUALEM TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WALID AL-MOUALEM, SAYING: "As Syria's foreign minister I apologise for this issue and I hope that with our people's awareness this does not happen a
  • Embargoed: 30th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Reuters ID: LVA5MPWRL4YZ5S3HFYGDNEI6HRIU
  • Story Text: Syria said on Monday (November 14) an Arab League decision to suspend it was a dangerous step at a time when it was implementing a deal with the organisation to end violence and start a dialogue with the opposition.
    Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem described Washington's welcome of the Arab League move as "incitement". He apologised for attacks on diplomatic missions in Syria after the suspension was announced.
    "As Syria's foreign minister I apologise for this issue and I hope that with our people's awareness this does not happen again. We, as a state, are responsible for protecting the security of these embassies, according to Vienna's agreement. So I apologise," he said.
    Moualem expressed confidence that Russia and China would continue to block Western efforts at the United Nations to condemn Syrian actions, and also played down the prospect of any Western military intervention in Syria.
    "Syrian people must not worry. Syria is not Libya. Europeans are suffering economically because the bill for the war on Libya, according to NATO's estimations, cost $240 billions in addition to the destruction that cost $400 billion, and from this point of view, I am not worried," he said.
    Syria had withdrawn troops from urban areas, released prisoners and offered an amnesty to armed insurgents under the terms of the initiative agreed with the Arab League two weeks ago to end eight months of unrest, Moualem told a televised news conference in Damascus.
    The United Nations says 3,500 people have been killed in Syria's crackdown on protests demanding the end to President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Damascus blames armed groups for the violence and says 1,100 soldiers and police have been killed.
    Moualem said Damascus was organising a dialogue with opposition figures and all elements of Syrian society, which he said were not all represented by the government or the opposition.
    "In Syria there is no escalation of the crisis. On the contrary, we are heading toward the end of the crisis," he said.
    Syria called on Sunday (November 13) for an emergency Arab summit to discuss the unrest. Moualem said that if the Arab League ignored its request, it would show that the 22-member organisation had abandoned the Arab initiative to resolve the impasse.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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