London, Rome condemn Syria crackdown
London and Rome on Monday condemned "unacceptable" violence in Syria after deadly assaults by security forces on anti-regime protesters. "We agreed that the situation in Syria is deeply troubling, and that violence against protesters is unacceptable," Foreign Secretary William Hague said after talks with Italian counterpart Franco Frattini in London.
Hague called on the government of President Bashar al-Assad "to respect the right to free speech and to peaceful protest." The regime must "put in train the meaningful political reform which is the only legitimate response to demands from the Syrian people," he urged. (AFP)
