Britain recalls ambassador to Syria: Hague

LONDON: Britain has recalled its ambassador to Syria for consultations in protest as the regime intensifies its violent crackdown against demonstrators, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Monday.

In a statement to parliament after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, Hague said he had summoned the Syrian envoy to London to the Foreign Office in protest at the situation in Syria.

"I have today recalled to London our ambassador in Damascus for consultations," Hague told lawmakers. "This is a doomed regime as well as a murdering regime. There is no way it can recover its credibility internationally or with its own people."

Britain would now push for fresh European Union sanctions against Syria and to consider a UN General Assembly resolution calling for steps to end the violence, Hague said. (AFP)