France, Germany, Britain and Italy - the European Union's four largest members - expelled Syrian diplomats on Tuesday, in a coordinated move protesting the killing of more than 100 civilians four days earlier in the Syrian town of Houla. French President Francois Hollande was the first to announce the decision. He said Syria's ambassador in Paris would be notified “today or tomorrow," and also announced that the France would host meeting of the Friends of Syria group at the start of July. This was the result of a "concerted decision with our partners," Hollande said. Germany summoned the Syrian ambassador, Radwan Lutfi, to the Foreign Ministry and told him he had 72 hours to leave the country. The British Foreign Office announced a similar move in London, indicating it had expelled the Syrian charge D'affaires. Syria's ambassador to Britain was withdrawn from his post in March. In Rome, the foreign ministry issued a statement declaring Syrian ambassador Khaddour Hasan "persona non grata" and confirming that the move had been "coordinated with other European partners. "
