Thursday, Apr 28, 2011
(Adds Syrian ambassador reaction)
LONDON (AFP)--The U.K. Thursday withdrew the Syrian ambassador's invitation to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, saying the regime's crackdown on protesters made his presence "unacceptable."
Buckingham Palace agreed with Foreign Secretary William Hague's decision that Ambassador Sami Khiyami shouldn't attend Friday's ceremony, the Foreign Office said in a statement, following criticism from rights groups.
"In the light of this week's attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the Foreign Secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian ambassador at the royal wedding would be unacceptable and that he should not attend," the statement said.
The U.K. Wednesday summoned Khiyami to the Foreign Office in a coordinated action with four other European nations to condemn the "unacceptable use of force against protesters."
Rights groups say at least 453 civilians have been killed in Syria since protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad first erupted in mid-March.
The Foreign Office defended the initial invitation, saying the Syrian envoy had been invited alongside all the estimated 185 countries which have ambassadors in London.
"An invitation does not mean endorsement or approval of the behaviour of any government, simply that we have normal diplomatic relations with that country," it said.
Buckingham Palace--the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William's grandmother--confirmed that it endorsed the decision.
"Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian ambassador to attend the wedding," a palace spokeswoman told AFP.
Khiyami said he had yet to decide whether to attend the wedding when he found out the invitation had been withdrawn.
"I don't really understand it, but I understand the influence of media on the government decisions," he told BBC Radio.
He said the decision to withdraw his invitation won't harm relations with the U.K. and he expressed sympathy for the royal couple.
"The bride and groom need not have their wedding distracted by other matters," he said.
The U.K. has already rescinded an invitation to the Libyan ambassador to London amid attacks against civilians by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in the North African country.
The Crown Prince of Bahrain Sunday said he would no longer be attending, saying he didn't want unrest in his country to distract from the British royals' big day.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
28-04-11 1442GMT
