Syria sack defecting ambassador

Syria has sacked its ambassador to Iraq after he defected to the opposition.

The foreign ministry said today Nawaf Fares had been "relieved of his duties" and should face "legal and disciplinary accountability."

Mr Fares announced his defection in a video released yesterday, saying he was siding with "the revolution" against President Bashar Assad.

He is the highest profile diplomat to defect in the uprising and the second prominent figure to leave the regime in a week.

Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, an Assad confidant and son of a former defence minister, fled Syria last week, though he has not spoken publicly since.

Activists say more than 17,000 people have been killed in the 16-month-old uprising.