Syria Orders Embassies Closed in Tit-for-Tat Move

Syria has asked Tunisia and Libya to close their embassies in Damascus in a tit-for-tat move after they both expelled Syria's envoys, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Saturday.

"Syrian authorities have asked Libya and Tunisia to close their embassies in Damascus in a reciprocal move," Jihad Makdisi told reporters.

The decision comes days after similar moves by Tunisia and Libya -- where veteran strongmen have been ousted by popular uprisings -- in protest at the Damascus regime's lethal crackdown on democracy protests.

Libya's ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) closed the Syrian embassy in October and two days ago it ordered Syrian diplomats still in the country to leave within 72 hours.

That decision comes less than a week after the opposition Syrian National Council -- which has already been recognized by the NTC -- took control of the country's embassy in Tripoli.

And earlier this month the Tunisian presidency said it had started a procedure to expel the Syrian ambassador in protest at the rising death toll of civilians killed by regime forces over the past 11 months.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, whose government was brought in by elections that followed the Arab Spring's first uprising, this month also called on all nations to expel their Syrian ambassadors.

Jebali last week said that in the absence of strong U.N. action, countries should take their own action by cutting all diplomatic ties with Damascus, as Tunisia has already done.

"We have to expel Syrian ambassadors from Arab and other countries," the premier said.

His remarks came after Syrian activists and rights groups reported that more than 230 civilians died under bombardment by Syrian forces in the city of Homs on a single day last week.

And earlier this week Gulf monarchies said they would also withdraw their envoys from Syria, joining mounting international pressure on Damascus over the killings of civilians.

"State members have decided to withdraw their ambassadors from Syria and ask at the same time for all the ambassadors of the Syrian regime to leave immediately," the six Gulf Cooperation Council states said on February 7.