OTTAWA - Canada has closed its embassy in Syria, an announcement made the same day that the federal government said it would try to further put the financial squeeze on the country's leadership.
The closure of the embassy follows similar moves by other countries, including the United States, Britain and, most recently, France, which made the announcement after the death of two French journalists in the city of Homs last week.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Monday that services at the embassy and consulate in Syria are being suspended ``effective immediately.''
``Canada has maintained its diplomatic presence in Syria - despite the risks - to monitor developments on the ground and to deliver tough and frank messages to the Syrian authorities,'' Baird said in a statement.
``We continue to reiterate: Assad must go. Change will happen. Syrians will have their day - and Canada stands with the Syrian people in their push for a better, brighter future.''
Baird made the announcements following another bloody weekend in the country where humanitarian aid has been blocked from reaching civilians in Homs.
Earlier Monday, Baird said Canada would widen its economic sanctions against Syria, freezing the assets of seven government ministers. Baird said the sanctions wouldn't be lifted until the president handed over power.
The sanctions now cover 115 individuals and 39 entities, including, as of Monday, the Central Bank of Syria.
``The continuing, appalling violence perpetrated by the Assad regime on the people of Syria compels us to again tighten the vice on those responsible,'' Baird said in a statement.
``These additional measures include a complete ban on the provision or acquisition of financial or other related services, as well as sanctions on the Syrian central bank and seven high-ranking Syrian officials implicated in the violence.''
No one at the Syrian embassy in Ottawa could be reached for comment Monday.
Canada had already cut down its embassy staff in late January, leaving only core personnel to help Canadians in the country.
While Canadians have been encouraged to leave Syria, anyone in need of emergency consular services will still be able to access them through the Canadian embassy in Beirut or the Hungarian embassy in Damascus.
Those still in Syria wishing to submit an application for temporary resident status in Canada should apply through the Canadian visa office in Beirut (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions/beirut.as p) or Amman (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions/amman.asp ).
No comments:
Post a Comment