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The United States became the latest country on Tuesday to expel the Syrian envoy, joining Spain, Italy, Canada, Britain, Australia, France and Germany. The U.S. State Department is expelling Syria\u2019s charge d\u2019affaires in Washington following a wave of deadly attacks on civilians in Syria over the weekend, a U.S. official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Syrian diplomat would be given 72 hours to depart the country.
Syria\u2019s longtime ambassador to Washington, Imad Moustapha, was recalled to Damascus late last year and a formal replacement had not been named.
Earlier, Spain had expelled its Syria\u2019s ambassador in Madrid in protest against the \u201cunacceptable repression by the Syrian regime against its own people,\u201d the government said.
\u201cSpain has decided to declare the Syrian ambassador in Spain, Hussam Edin Aala, persona non grata because of the unacceptable repression carried out by the Syrian regime against its own people,\u201d the foreign ministry said.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the expulsions would send a \u201cstark message\u201d that time was running out for Assad after the killings of 108 people in the central Syrian town last week.
The move was part of the increased pressure by the international community on senior figures in the regime, to \u201cget the message across to them that they have to choose, that time will run out for Assad,\u201d Hague said.
\u201cAs part of that pressure today we have again called the Syrian charge d\u2019affaires in London here to the Foreign Office. He has been given seven days to leave the country,\u201d Hague said.
\u201cOther Syrian diplomats will be expelled, two other diplomats will be expelled at the same time.
\u201cOur allies and partners around the world will be taking similar action and announcing it today — including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United States, Canada and Australia.\u201d
Rome declared the Syrian ambassador and other embassy staff \u201cpersona non grata,\u201d the foreign ministry said, while Canada announced it will immediately expel the three remaining Syrian diplomats in Ottawa in response to a massacre in the town of Houla last week, Foreign Minister John Baird said on Tuesday.
\u201cAmbassador Khaddour Hasan was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and told he was \u2018persona non grata,\u2019\u201d the Italian government said, expressing its \u201cindignation for the heinous crimes carried out against the civilian population.\u201d
Syria\u2019s main opposition coalition welcomed the expulsion of the country\u2019s top diplomats from the several Western countries, according to a statement on Tuesday.
\u201cThe Syrian National Council welcomes the expulsion of the regime\u2019s ambassador in Paris and its representatives in Australia,\u201d the statement said.
\u201cThe SNC declares its full support for these actions that France and Australia initiated, and expects other states to follow suit.\u201d
Several EU nations were considering a joint expulsion of Syrian diplomatic staff from their countries Tuesday in response to the weekend\u2019s horrific massacre in the town of Houla, diplomatic sources said.
\u201cThat idea is on the table,\u201d said an EU diplomat ahead of talks Tuesday and Wednesday between ambassadors from the 27-nation bloc, and as France announced the expulsion of the Syrian ambassador.
\u201cThere was a concerted plan between Britain, France and Germany,\u201d said another source, who asked not to be identified.
EU ambassadors will discuss further how to respond to the weekend events at talks taking place in Brussels.<\/p>\n