Syrian Ambassador’s wedding invitation withdrawn

The Syrian Ambassador Sami Khiyami has had his invitation to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton withdrawn, the Foreign Office said.

His presence would be “unacceptable” at the Royal Wedding, a statement read, due to the deadly crackdown in Syria by security forces on civilian protesters, which has left as many as 500 dead and sparked the resignation of up to 200 Syrian Government ministers.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “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.

The Foreign Secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian Ambassador at the Royal Wedding would be unacceptable. Foreign Office

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

In response, the Syrian Ambassador issued a press release saying: “It is most regretful, because my staff and I have been working hard over the years to maintain the best possible ties between the UK and Syria.

“I would like, on this occasion, to wish the Royal couple a memorable Wedding Day and happiness for the future.”

Controversy

The Syrian Ambassador is the latest figure invited – or not invited – to the Royal Wedding to cause controversy.

The Crown Prince of Bahrain declined his invitation to the event because of unrest in his country, but several other questionable figures remain on the guest list, including the King of Swaziland and Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. Both are accused of human rights violations in their countries.

Clive Baldwin, Senior Legal Advisor at Human Rights Watch, told Channel 4 News: “We are concerned about any legitimacy this gives to regimes.

“This is clearly not just a private occasion, although it is not a state occasion. There are heads of state, ambassadors. The Foreign Office should be clear, particularly with countries where there are ongoing serious human rights violations, that their presence does not give legitimacy to these regimes.”

Human rights concerns
Human Rights Watch has compiled a list of the attendees at the Royal Wedding whose countries are linked to human rights abuses. The list, given to Channel 4 News, includes the ambassadors to Zimbabwe, North Korea and Iran. 

Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, and Princess Fadwa bin Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
The Emir of Qatar and Sheika Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
His Excellency Gabriel Mhardze Machinga, Zimbabwe's Ambassador to the United Kingdom
His Excellency Rasoul Movahadian Attar, Iranian Ambassador to the United Kingdom 
His Excellency Mr. Ja Song Nam, North Korea's Ambassador to the United Kingdom

Mr Baldwin said the revocation of the invite to the Syrian Ambassador showed the Foreign Office could act.

“One country where they need to be very clear that the invite does not add legitimacy is Saudi Arabia. The repression there – they are not even allowed demonstrations – and also Saudi Arabia’s role in suppressing the protest in Bahrain.

“With a wedding of this profile around the world, the Government needs to make their position on human rights violations very clear.”

For others, not getting the coveted invite is the problem. While former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major have made the cut, both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown will not be attending. Some Labour MPs are furious about the omission, including Denis MacShane, MP for Rotherham, who said the situation “bordered on the grotesque” that they were not invited while the Syrian Ambassador previously was.

Clarence House says that Mr Brown and Mr Blair missed out because they are not Knights of the Royal Garter, while Mrs Thatcher and Mr Major are.

A spokesperson for the Royals told Channel 4 News the invites had all been approved by the Foreign Office. She said that the list was drawn up by William and Catherine, with input from their household and that of the Queen, with final approval for diplomatic invites from the Foreign Office.

She said: “All heads of mission representing countries with which we are in normal diplomatic relations have been invited to the wedding. All foreign dignitaries have been invited on the advice of the Foreign Office.”

Read the guest list here