THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syria's ambassador to London has had his invitation to the royal wedding withdrawn in the wake of controversy over his presence on the guest list.The Foreign Office said it had decided Dr Sami Khiyami's presence at the royal wedding ceremony would be "unacceptable" in the light of the killing of up to 450 pro-democracy demonstrators in recent weeks.
Kevan Jones, the shadow defence minister, had warned Buckingham Palace of the damage that would be done by the "horrific spectre of killing on the streets of Syria while the Syrian ambassador is in Westminster Abbey for the royal wedding."
A statement from the Foreign Office said: “Representatives of countries with which the UK has normal diplomatic relations have been invited to the wedding.
"An invitation does not mean endorsement or approval of the behaviour of any government, simply that we have normal diplomatic relations with that country.
"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.
"Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian Ambassador to attend the wedding.” » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Thursday, April 28, 2011
