Foreign ministry declares 17 diplomats personae non gratae

The Foreign Ministry of Syria said Tuesday morning that more than two dozen western diplomats — including representatives from Canada — are no longer welcome in the country.

The move is a formal response to the co-ordinated withdrawal from Syria last week by 11 western nations.

The New York Times quoted Syria’s state news agency, SANA: "The Syrian Arab Republic still believes in the importance of dialogue based on principles of equality and mutual respect. We hope the countries that initiated these steps will adopt those principles, which would allow relations to return to normal again."

Click here to read Michael Petrou on conditions in Syria more than a year into the popular uprising against Bashar al-Assad.