UK FCO summons Syrian ambassador

The UK Foreign Office on Monday summoned the Syrian Ambassador over the  Homs siege, where the death toll has been spiralling for the last week. Speaking after the meeting, a spokesperson said: “Foreign Office Permanent Under Secretary Simon Fraser summoned the Syrian Ambassador to make clear the UK’s condemnation of the atrocities being committed by the Syrian regime against innocent civilians in Homs and throughout Syria...the UK was appalled by the Syrian security forces' indiscriminate use of tanks and mortar over the weekend, taking its brutality to a new level and increasing the humanitarian suffering." Fraser urged the Syrian authorities to allow immediate access to humanitarian organisations to alleviate the situation. Foreign Secretary William Hague announced earlier in the day that Britain was withdrawing its ambassador from Syria in light of the escalating violence and was going to continue working to make Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad step down.