NewsBreakingOnline

Statement is sharpest criticism yet directed by Saudi Arabia against Arab state since Middle East unrest began Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has demanded an end to the bloodshed in Syria and recalled his country’s ambassador from Damascus, in a rare case of one of the Arab world’s most powerful leaders intervening against another. It was the sharpest criticism the oil giant – a monarchy who bans political opposition – has directed against any Arab state since a wave of protests roiled the Middle East and toppled autocrats in Tunisia and Egypt. “What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia,” he said in a written statement read out on Al Arabiya satellite television. Events in Syria had “nothing to do with religion, or values, or ethics”, the king said. A crackdown by Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad against protests has become one of the most violent episodes in the wave of unrest sweeping through the Arab world this year. Activists said troops with tanks had launched an assault on the city of Deir al-Zor in the east of the country, killing dozens. The past week has seen scores of people killed in a siege of Hama, a city where Assad’s father launched a crackdown nearly 30 years ago, killing thousands. Assad’s government says it is fighting against criminals and armed extremists who have provoked violence by attacking its troops. Activists and western countries say Assad’s forces have attacked peaceful protesters. “Syria should think wisely before it’s too late and issue and enact reforms that are not merely promises but actual reforms,” the Saudi king said. “Either it chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss.” The Arab League, in a rare response to the escalating bloodshed in Syria, called on authorities there to stop acts of violence against civilians. Although several Arab states have joined the west in opposing Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, most of the region’s rulers have been cautious about criticising other Arab leaders during the protests. King Abdullah sent Saudi troops in March to help neighbouring monarchy Bahrain put down anti-government protests, and Saudi officials have criticised the decision to put Egypt’s ousted leader Hosni Mubarak on trial. Saudi Arabia has acted as a mediator in neighbouring Yemen, and is hosting its president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who went there for medical treatment after being wounded in a bomb attack when protests against his rule turned into open conflict. Syria Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East guardian.co.uk