PARIS (AP) — The French Foreign Ministry says France is recalling its ambassador to Syria for consultations because of the continued crackdown by President Bashar Assad’s regime on the population.
Romain Nadal, a ministry spokesman, says the French Embassy in Damascus will remain open.
Tuesday’s announcement comes as other Western powers including Britain, the United States and Italy have called back their top envoys in the wake of new violence in Syria.
It’s the second time in three months that France has recalled Ambassador Eric Chevallier to Paris. In November, France briefly closed consular and cultural posts in Syria over a new upsurge in violence.
