Syria’s foreign ministry said
Wednesday that a US decision to close its Washington embassy and two consulates
was illegal and arbitrary.
A statement described the decision
as “an arbitrary measure,” saying it was “a clear violation of the Vienna
Convention” that governs diplomatic relations between nations.
It came a day after the United
States announced it was closing Syria’s Washington embassy and consulates in
Michigan and Texas and expelling remaining diplomatic staff who were not US
citizens.
US Secretary of State John Kerry
said the decision was taken because “the illegitimacy of the Assad regime is so
overwhelming.”
“So we just felt the idea that this
embassy is sitting here with representation that we could take seriously is an
insult, and we closed it. It’s that simple,” he said.
Syria’s foreign ministry said the
decision was intended to undermine the country’s ability to provide its
citizens abroad with services.
The decision “reveals the real
objectives of US policy against the interests of Syrian citizens and is another
step in the US support for terrorism and bloodshed in Syria,” the statement
added.
The Syrian embassy in the US capital
had been operating for some time without an ambassador, who left the US in
December 2011, leaving only a few low level staff who had been providing
limited consular services.
The measures will not affect Syria’s
mission to the United Nations, though Washington last month announced it would
limit the movements of Syria’s UN ambassador to a 25-mile radius around New
York City. AFP
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