Royal wedding: Syrian ambassador's invitation withdrawn

London, Apr 28(ANI): Syrian Ambassador to the United Kindom Sami Khiyami's invitation to the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton has been withdrawn, the Foreign Office has said.

A Foreign Office statement said Foreign Secretary William Hague decided that Khiyami's presence would be "unacceptable" in the light of the killing of up to 450 pro-democracy demonstrators in recent weeks in Syria.

"Representatives of countries with which the UK has normal diplomatic relations have been invited to the wedding. An invitation does not mean endorsement or approval of the behaviour of any government, simply that we have normal diplomatic relations with that country," The Daily Mirror quoted a Foreign Office statement, as saying.

"In the light of this week's attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the Foreign Secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian Ambassador at the Royal Wedding would be unacceptable and that he should not attend."

"Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian Ambassador to attend the wedding," it added.

The Syrian ambassador was not the only representative of a dubious international regime invited to Friday's ceremony - among the guests will be diplomats from Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Iran and Zimbabwe.

Other questionable regimes whose representatives are rumoured to have been invited include Oman, Swaziland, Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei and Abu Dhabi. (ANI)