Syrian ambassador barred from royal wedding

Thursday, 28 April 2011 12:00 AM

By Alex Stevenson

Syria's ambassador will not be permitted to attend the royal wedding, the Foreign Office has announced.

William Hague bowed to uproar from national newspapers and opposition MPs after it emerged Sami Khiyami would be in Westminster Abbey for the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton tomorrow, just two days after he was reprimanded by Foreign Office permanent undersecretary Simon Fraser.

Representatives of the royal family had said responsibility for diplomatic invitations lies with the Foreign Office, which had made clear it is inviting all dignitaries from countries with whom Britain enjoys diplomatic relations.

Mr Hague subsequently decided to revoke Dr Khiyami's invitation, however.

A spokesperson said this morning: "In the light of this week's attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the foreign secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian ambassador at the royal wedding would be unacceptable and that he should not attend.

"Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian ambassador to attend the wedding."

The move, which embarrasses the Syrian government and increases international pressure on president Bashar al-Assad's regime, is likely to dampen outrage from Labour MPs about the royal wedding invite.

Shadow defence minister Kevan Jones had said the combination of killing on the streets of Syria while the Syrian ambassador is in Westminster Abbey had presented a "horrific spectre".

Another shadow defence minister, Michael Dugher, told the Telegraph: "The palace keeps saying this is a private wedding but it's a huge national celebration. There should be extraordinary sensitivity in relation to the invitations."

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander approved the decision. He said allowing Dr Khiyami to attend would have sent "confused and mixed messages to Damascus".

"That regime deserves our unequivocal condemnation for the brutal repression they are using against the Syrian protestors," Mr Alexander added.

"His presence would also have distracted attention from this national celebration."

The Foreign Office has emphasised that an invitation does not mean endorsement or approval of the behaviour of any government, a spokesperson said.

Shooting was heard in Deraa overnight as Mr al-Assad's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters continues to intensify.

Around 200 members of the ruling Ba'ath party have stepped down in protest, but the international community has struggled to bring the full weight of diplomatic pressure to bear.

Although Spain, France, Germany and Italy joined the UK in summoning their respective Syrian ambassadors, the wider United Nations did not reach agreement on a statement censuring Syria.

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• foreign policy
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• middle east