Russia moves to shield Syria

Russia today condemned the Arab League's decision to suspend Syria and accused Western countries of inciting opposition to President Bashar Assad's rule.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov attacked the suspension as "incorrect" and also reiterated Russia's opposition to new penalties on Iran over its nuclear programme. He claimed that some nations were encouraging tension to impose additional sanctions.

The intervention came after a weekend of apparently state-sponsored violence in Damascus when protesters stormed the Saudi and Qatar embassies and attacked Turkish and French diplomatic posts across the country, prompting Saudi Arabia and Turkey to withdraw non-essential diplomats and their families.

Although there were no reported injuries, windows were broken in the Saudi compound and sections ransacked. The mob replaced the Qatari flag with the Syrian banner after breaking into its embassy compound.

Last month the US withdrew its ambassador after the embassy was twice stormed by a crowd. Turkey also warned its citizens not to travel to Syria as activists reported at least 14 more people had been killed in shootings by security forces.

A 14-year-old boy was said to have been shot dead in the town of Diz Az-Zour after he refused to join a pro-government march. Mohammed Salam al-Mlaessa was killed in front of his classmates, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Russia is a long-term ally of the Assad regime and maintains a naval base in the country. Last month a UN security council move to bring sanctions against Syria was blocked by Russia and China.The Arab League announced on Saturday that Syria's membership would be suspended and that it would also impose economic and political sanctions. Syria responded by announcing it would boycott next month's Arab Games in Qatar but, in an apparent concession, also invited Arab League observers to visit the country before the suspension is due to take effect on Wednesday.

In a further sign of Damascus' international isolation, the European Union reached a preliminary agreement this morning to extend sanctions against Syria to more individuals associated with the violence. This would stop Syria accessing funds from the European Investment Bank. EU sanctions already affect 56 Syrian individuals and 19 firms linked to the government.