France recalls ambassador to Syria

France has called back its ambassador to Syria due to security reasons, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Wednesday. "New violence has taken place in Syria, that's what made me to close our consular agencies in Aleppo and in Latakia, our cultural institutes, and to call back our ambassador to Paris," Juppe was quoted by AFP as saying. French Ambassdor Eric Chevallier was named to be the top French diplomat in Syria in May 2009. Anti-government demonstrations have plagued Syria for months with deadly violence surging recently. Arab League foreign ministers on Saturday voted to suspend Syria's activities in the pan-Arab bloc over its failure to comply with an agreement with protesters. Meanwhile, earlier reports said several thousand people attended rallies in Damascus and Latakia on Wednesday in support of President Bashar al-Assad.