By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A number of Western countries are jumping to conclusions about the Houla massacre in Syria, where more than 100 people were killed, Russia’s envoy to the European Union has said.
“Far reaching political and, I’m afraid, not only political but also practical conclusions are being drawn from that,” said Vladimir Chizhov.
Russia hopes the EU countries will refrain from military intervention in Syria, he said.
“Honestly I would like to hope that the European leaders, as well as the leaders of other countries, will have enough common sense to take a sober view of the situation and not take the path of ratcheting up tension, let alone armed intervention,” he said.
The US, Spain, Britain, Italy, Canada, France, Australia, Germany and Japan have announced the expulsion of Syrian ambassadors to their countries, protesting the Houla massacre which they blamed on forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The killings in Houla in Homs province was one of the deadliest events in the 15-month-old uprising against Assad’s rule. The UN said 49 children and 34 women were among the 108 people killed.
Over 9,000 people have been killed in clashes between the government and opposition forces in Syria since the uprising began in March 2011, according to the UN.