Saudi Arabia withdraws ambassador from Syria (& "demands an end to the death machine")

[Turborama]

Source: BBC

Saudi Arabia says it is withdrawing its ambassador from Syria in protest against the crackdown on Syrian anti-government demonstrators.

In a statement broadcast across the Arab world, King Abdullah said the violence was "unacceptable".

=snip=

The BBC's Middle East correspondent says the move is a major escalation in international pressure on Damascus.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia... demands an end to the death machine and bloodshed and calls for acts of wisdom before it is too late," King Abdullah said in a statement broadcast by al-Arabiya television.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14439303

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Saudi pulls ambassador from Syria, denounces violence



updated 1 hour 16 minutes ago

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria on Monday and recalled his country's ambassador from Damascus, in a rare case of one of the Arab world's most powerful leaders intervening against another.

It was the sharpest criticism the oil giant -- an absolute monarchy that bans political opposition -- has directed against any Arab state since a wave of protests roiled the Middle East and toppled autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt.

The Saudi statement came with all the weight of the king's personal authority, and follows similar statements since Saturday from the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

=snip=

On Sunday, activists said Syrian troops with tanks had launched an assault on the city of Deir al-Zor in the east of the country, killing dozens. The past week has seen scores of people killed in a siege of Hama, a city where Assad's father launched a crackdown nearly 30 years ago, killing thousands.

Full article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44052564/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

[Kennah]

1. Methinks the lady doeth protest too much

[Turborama]

3. Due to what they are doing in Bahrain there are double standards...

But that doesn't stop me agreeing with their statement in the OP.

[Muskypundit]

2. This would be wonderful if they could take care of this in house

Instead of another U.S intervention.