Syria's most senior diplomat in the UK has quit his post in protest at the "violent and oppressive" actions of the regime of president Bashar Assad, the Foreign Office said.
In a blow to Damascus, charge d'affaires Khaled al Ayoubi said he was "no longer willing" to represent the Government amid the brutal repression of rebels.
The British Government said his decision represented the "revulsion and despair" of Syrians and urged others around the world to follow his example and abandon Assad.
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