Egypt is cutting diplomatic relations with Syria, Morsi says
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi addresses a rally in Cairo on June 15, 2013.
Sun Jun 16, 2013 1:48AM GMT
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Egypt is cutting off all diplomatic relations with Syria and closing the Syrian Embassy in Cairo, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has announced.
"We decided today to entirely break off relations with Syria and with the current Syrian” government, Morsi said during an address to thousands of supporters at a rally in Cairo on Saturday.
He added that his government would also be recalling the Egyptian charge d'affaires from Damascus.
In addition, Morsi called on Western states to enforce a no-fly zone over Syria.
The United States has recently announced that it will impose a no-fly zone over Syria and the Pentagon is drawing up plans for the action.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Morsi urged the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria. "Hezbollah must leave Syria -- these are serious words. There is no space or place for Hezbollah in Syria."
In late May, Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said that members of the resistance movement were battling the anti-government militants alongside Syrian government forces in the strategic border town of al-Qusayr -- an important center and supply route for the foreign-sponsored militants.
On June 5, the Syrian army recaptured al-Qusayr after three weeks of fighting.
The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government forces, have been killed.
Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants.
In addition, several international human rights organizations say the militants operating in Syria have committed war crimes.
GJH/HGL