RABAT – Morocco ordered the Syrian ambassador Monday to leave the North African kingdom and called for a transition to democracy in Syria, and Damascus retaliated by declaring the Moroccan ambassador there persona non grata. Rabat's move followed the defection last week of Syria's ambassador to Iraq and the flight the week before of a prominent general once close to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad – developments that Western officials said showed that Assad was losing his grip on power as the rebellion against him drags on. Earlier in the day, rumors circulated that the ambassador to Rabat, Nabih Ismail, had also defected to the rebel side. A Syrian embassy official denied this but had no further comment. Morocco's Foreign Ministry said in a statement the situation in Syria “cannot remain as it is”. “Morocco wished for “an efficient and resolute action to ensure a political transition toward a democratic setup that guarantees Syria's unity, stability and regional safety to achieve the brotherly Syrian people's aspirations for dignity, freedom and development.” the statement added. – Reuters
