Tunisia Recalls Ambassador from Syria

The Tunisian government has recalled its ambassador in Syria for "consultations", the foreign ministry announced Wednesday.

"Given the dangerous situation in Syria, the Tunisian government has decided to recall its ambassador in Damascus for consultations," the official TAP news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

However the ambassador, Mohamed Laouiti, when contacted by Agence France Presse, said he had "received nothing official on the subject".

On August 7 Arab heavyweight Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Damascus.

The next day fellow Gulf Arab states Kuwait and Bahrain followed suit.

Rights groups say Syria's crackdown on protestors has killed 1,827 civilians since mid-March, while Damascus says 416 security force members have also died fighting "armed terrorists".

Diplomats told AFP Wednesday that Arab and European countries, along with the United States, will ask the United Nations' top human rights body to hold a special session on the situation in Syria.

Since the start of the trouble Tunisia has remained largely silent on the matter. However last week Tunis called for an end to the violence and for "serious dialogue" in the country.