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Foreign Minister Westerwelle calls upon the Syrian leadership to end the violence and protect diplomatic missions

12.07.2011 - Press release

The massive repression of demonstrators and members of the opposition in Syria is continuing. Once again several people were killed last weekend alone. In the last few days there have also been violent clashes at the diplomatic missions of France and the United States in Damascus. Some of the demonstrators even burst into the grounds of the embassies. Scenes of violent clashes could also be seen at the EU delegation building.

In New York, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued the following statement on the matter today (12 July):

“The Syrian leadership’s ongoing brutal repression of its own people is unacceptable. The regime finally needs to abandon its path of violence and start listening to the legitimate demands of the opposition. This is the only way to move towards a credible national dialogue, which must lead to democracy and true political participation.
The attacks on diplomatic missions in Damascus must be stopped immediately. The Syrian Government has an obligation under international law to protect these embassies and needs to fulfil it without exceptions.
During Germany’s Presidency of the UN Security Council we will work even more intensively to have the UN’s supreme body address the intolerable situation in Syria and make unequivocal demands of the regime in Damascus.”

At Foreign Minister Westerwelle’s request, the Syrian ambassador to Germany was summoned to the Federal Foreign Office again today, where State Secretary Emily Haber emphatically underlined Germany’s view of the situation, especially with regard to the attacks on diplomatic missions in Damascus.

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