International reactions to the Syrian civil war

[11] On 31 January 2012, the Security Council discussed a Western-Arab resolution that demanded an immediate halt to military action,[12] supported the latest (December 2011) Arab League peace plan[13] and called on Assad to cede power.

"[16] In early November the Arab League announced that the Syrian Government had agreed to end its crackdown, remove troops, release prisoners, begin a dialog with its citizens and allow observers and journalists free movement.

At a summit on 10 September 2011, the ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America) regional bloc expressed support for the Syrian government and warned against an international military intervention in Syria.

"[29] On 4 October 2011, Russia and China vetoed a resolution that would have threatened the Syrian government with targeted sanctions if it continued military actions, claiming they wanted to prevent a "Libyan intervention scenario".

"[32] Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei spoke in favour of the Syrian government in regard to the uprising – "In Syria, the hand of America and Israel is evident" and "Wherever a movement is Islamic, populist and anti-U.S., we support it".

[37][38] Then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with the Lebanese television news network Al-Manar on 25 August 2011 that the violence should end and "the people and government of Syria" should join in a national dialogue.

[39] However, he told Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar on 26 August that he believed that any "interference of foreigners and domineering powers in the regional countries' internal affairs would complicate the situation".

[41] On 15 August, while visiting Cairo, high-ranking Iranian parliamentarian Alaeddin Boroujerdi condemned the actions of Syrian protesters, claiming they were U.S. agents trying to destabilize Syria to benefit Israel.

[46] However, on 9 August 2011 the Council of Representatives of Iraq issued a statement demanding reforms and an immediate halt to violence, which read in part: "We call to stop all non-peaceful practices, and all actions for suppression of freedoms and bloodshed is condemned and unacceptable.

"[63] Minister for International Affairs, Strategy and Intelligence Yuval Steinitz said on 10 June 2013 that "I always thought that it might be the case that at the end of the day Assad, with a very strong Iranian and Hezbollah backing, might gain the upper hand.

Alexander Shumlin wrote, "The fall of the Syrian regime will mean the disappearance of Russia's last partner in conducting Soviet-style policies in the Middle East whose essence in many ways boiled down to countering the United States".

[91][92] On the other hand, the following Friday 17 June, diaspora Syrians in Lebanon rallied in front of the Russian and Chinese embassies to "express their gratitude for Russia and China's support for Damascus and [to reject] the conspiracies sought against Syria".

[93] A Syrian anti-government delegation on 28 June visited Moscow and met with Russian envoy Mikhail Margelov, who after the meeting noted that "leaders come and go" and called for "an end to any and all forms of violence", which some interpreted to be a shift away from Assad.

[101] On October 29, 2011, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Russia's Federation Council, Mikhail Margelov said that the position of the Arab League, which called upon Assad to stop killing might lead to the end of bloodshed.

If you want to see someone who has fought until death against his own people, just look at Nazi Germany, just look at Hitler, at Benito Mussolini, at Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania," and "If you cannot draw any lessons from them, then look at the Libyan leader who was killed just 32 days ago in a manner none of us would wish for and who used the same expression you used.

[99] The Assad government denounced the visit as "inciting unrest" and banned Western diplomats from departing from Damascus; the U.S. embassy was attacked by a pro-Assad mob that broke windows and sprayed graffiti.

In 2015, the Abkhaz Foreign Minister met Syrian Ambassador to Russia, Riyad Haddad, in Moscow and afterwards said that his government believes Syria will recognize the former Georgian republic of Abkhazia's independence as a sovereign country in the future.

[169] During the meeting on 1 April 2012, Friends of Syria in Istanbul the Minister of foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, Edmond Haxhinasto said that the issue of human rights is a responsibility of the international community.

[177][178][179] On 25 March 2011, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said: "We are deeply skeptical about the official explanations as to what has happened with the various killings which have occurred in Daraa ... and we call directly on the Syrian Government to exercise restraint in their response to peaceful protest seeking democratic change.

[209] In a joint statement co-signed by British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Nicolas Sarkozy called for Assad to step down on 18 August 2011, citing his government's repeated failures to institute reforms or stop the violence.

[215] On 15 August 2011, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said Berlin wanted stronger sanctions against Syria after hearing reports that Syrian gunboats strafed coastal neighborhoods in Latakia.

[227] A statement by Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeaki Matsumoto published on 24 April 2011 condemned the Syrian government's use of force and noted the rising numbers of casualties and fatalities in Syria.

[245] The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on 10 August noting its traditional tendency not to comment on the "internal affairs of other countries" but expressing "its strong worries and deep concern over the sad events rocking Syria".

[249] Fatah Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki called military operations in Latakia "very worrisome" on 15 August 2011 amid UNRWA reported that thousands of Palestinians had been forced to flee from a major refugee camp on the outskirts of the Syrian city.

[259] On 3 April 2011, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani sent a letter to Syrian President al-Assad voicing Qatar's support for Syria amid "attempts at destabilisation".

[260] After pro-government protesters incensed over Al-Jazeera's coverage vandalised the Qatari embassy in Damascus, pelting it with eggs, rocks and vegetables, Qatar suspended its diplomatic operations in Syria starting 17 July.

[262] While visiting Iran on 26 August, the emir described the protest movement in Syria as "a real civil uprising to demand change, justice and freedom" and suggested the international community should help Syrian authorities to abandon the crackdown and adopt major reforms.

According to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, the shutdown of Suncor's Elba natural gas plant in Homs was expected to cut off electricity to "hundreds of thousands" of Syrian homes.

[327] Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb, imam of al-Azhar, Cairo's oldest mosque, said the institution "was patient for a long time and avoided talking about the situation in Syria because of its sensitive nature", but by 8 August 2011, it had "exceeded all limits".

"[331] Al Jazeera's Beirut-based reporter Ali Hashem resigned after his e-mails expressing frustration at the outlet's "unprofessional" and biased coverage of the Syrian civil war, which relegated the 2011–2012 Bahraini uprising to smaller stories despite more daily events including violence, deaths and judicial motions.