Italy recalls ambassador from Syria

Italy recalled its ambassador from Syria for consultations on Tuesday but said its embassy would remain open and "continue to follow with maximum attention developments in an extremely grave crisis." The foreign ministry also said in a statement that it had called in Syria's ambassador to Rome, Khaddour Hasan, on Monday for an official reprimand. The ministry expressed "the firm condemnation and disgust of the Italian government for the unacceptable violence perpetrated by the regime in Damascus against the civilian population." Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi on Saturday denounced the U.N. Security Council veto by China and Russia of a resolution on the Syria crisis. "The numbers of civilian victims of the Syrian regime's suppression speak for themselves," he said then. "The Syrian population cannot wait. The international community absolutely must find a way to respond to the very serious current political and humanitarian crisis," he added. The foreign ministry said Italy "re-affirms its commitment to maintain strong pressure on President Bashar Assad's regime." Italy earlier this year had proposed recalling all European Union ambassadors from Syria in protest at the repression by Assad's regime. Rome - Naharnet