Britain, France and Germany expel Syrian diplomats as the international community increases pressure on Assad regime over weekend massacre that killed over 100



Foreign Secretary William Hague announced he had given Syria's chargé d'affaires and two other diplomats seven days to leave the country

Britain yesterday expelled Syria’s most senior diplomat in outrage at Friday’s massacre of more than 100 people – almost half of them children – in the town of Houla.

Foreign Secretary William Hague announced he had given Syria’s chargé d’affaires and two other diplomats seven days to leave the country.

The move was part of a co-ordinated international action against the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

French President Francois Hollande has also expelled Syria's ambassador amid continuing violence by Syrian government forces against civilians and opposition members.

Hollande told reporters in Paris yesterday that the ambassador would leave 'today or tomorrow' but gave no further details.

Syrian diplomats in other countries including Germany, the US, Australia, Italy and Spain were also ordered out.

The announcements are part of increasing diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed in Syria and put pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

It comes as further reports of the horrific Houla massacre on Friday that killed 108 people, including 49 children and 34 women, continue to emerge.



The UN revealed yesterday that entire families were shot in their homes while many children has their throats cut.

Outrage: Mourners attend a mass burial in Syria for more than 100 people, half of whom were children, killed in a massacre in the city of Houla last month

Diplomatic talks: UN international envoy Kofi Annan met with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to demand an end to the bloodshed United front: French President Francois Hollande announcing that Syria's ambassador is being expelled Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the conclusions were based on accounts gathered by U.N. monitors and corroborated by other sources. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Syrian massacre victims were slaughtered 'family by family,... Share this article Share He said UN monitors found that fewer than 20 of the 108 people killed in the west-central area of Houla were killed by artillery fire. He said: 'Most of the rest of the victims were summarily executed in two separate incidents. At this point it looks like entire families were shot in their houses.' Activists have since posted amateur videos online showing shells exploding in the village, dismembered bodies lying in the streets, then rows of dozens of dead laid out before being buried in a mass grave. Peace envoy Kofi Annan met with president Assad yesterday to demand an end to the bloodshed after more than 9,000 Syrians have been killed since the uprising against his rule began 14 months ago. Annan is attempting to salvage a six-week-old peace plan, backed by the United Nations and the Arab League, that has barely slowed the bloodshed.

The former UN secretary general left the presidential palace after a meeting of around two hours.

Foreign secretary William Hague, pictured meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, has announced the expulsion of three Syrian diplomats from the UK

He told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that 'bold steps' were required for his six-point peace plan to succeed, including a halt to violence and release of people arrested in the uprising, a statement said.



The statement issued by his spokesman Ahmad Fawzi continued: 'He conveyed in frank terms his view to President Assad that the six-point plan cannot succeed without bold steps to stop the violence and release detainees, and stressed the importance of full implementation of the plan.'



'Syrian officials have denied any army role in the massacre, one of the worst since the uprising against Assad.

International attention: UN observers view bodies at a hospital morgue before the burial of the Houla dead

Massacre: This citizen journalism image provided by Syrian opposition's Shaam News Network shows shrouded dead bodies in Houla



Panic: This frame grab made from an amateur video provided by Syrian activists purports to show scenes from the massacre in Houla on May 25 that killed more than 100 people, many of them children

Chaos: A youngster runs for his life in the video, the authenticity of which has not yet been independently verified

Tragic: The dead bodies of youngsters can be seen lying on the floor as violence erupts around them

United front: Prime Minister David Cameron spoke with French president Francois Hollande by telephone ahead of the announcements to discuss the growing crisis in the Middle Eastern country

Uprising: Several Kalashnikov assault rifles hang on the wall as Free Syrian Army member Abu Fida, 29, watches the TV news at a FSA facilities in Mera, Syria

'During this time, Syria has not committed a single violation of Annan's plan or the initial understanding between Syria and the United Nations,' Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told reporters in Damascus.

'At the same time, the other party has not committed to a single point. This means that there is a decision by the armed groups and the opposition not to implement Annan's plan and to make it fail.'