The Netherlands shuts embassy in Syria

The Netherlands has closed its embassy in Damascus because of the worsening security situation in Syria and to send a political sign to its leadership, the foreign ministry announced Wednesday. "The shutdown is an expression of the revulsion we feel in the face of the appalling violence of the Syrian government," Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said in a statement. "Minister Rosenthal shut down the Dutch embassy in Damascus because of the worsening security conditions and to send a political sign to Syria," he said. The announcement came after Rosenthal met with Syrian opponents in The Hague earlier Wednesday. He said the Netherlands would continue to back the Syrian opposition financially and otherwise, notably with technical equipment to provide access to the Internet. Britain, France, Italy, Spain and the United States have already closed their embassies in Damascus. Saudi Arabia said earlier Wednesday it had also shut down its embassy and had withdrawn all its staff. Saudi Arabia, which has repeatedly pressed for world action against Damascus and called for the rebels to be armed, was one of six Gulf monarchies to expel Syria's ambassadors and withdraw their own in February. At least 8,500 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since the uprising against Syria's President Bashar Assad began in March 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.