Al-Assad returns 'Legion d'honneur' to France
dpa
DAMASCUS (dpa)- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has returned his "Legion d'honneur" award to France, days after Paris said it had moved to withdraw it.
Al-Assad's office said Thursday it made the decision after France took part in US-led strikes on Syrian government targets at the weekend.
“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is not honoured to wear a decoration from a country which is a slave to the United States, that supports terrorists,” his office said in a statement.
Al-Assad was given the Legion of Honour's highest rank of "Grand Croix," or "Great Cross," by former president Jacques Chirac in 2001, shortly after he took over the presidency from his late father Hafez al-Assad.
The award was returned to France via the Romanian embassy in Damascus, which currently represents French interests in Syria.
The joint US, British and French strikes on Syria came after al-Assad was accused by the opposition of launching a gas attack on the city of Douma, outside Damascus, killing dozens of people.
On Monday, the Elysee Palace in Paris said it had launched a disciplinary procedure to withdraw the award from al-Assad.
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Al-Assad was given the Legion of Honour's highest rank of "Grand Croix," or "Great Cross," by former president Jacques Chirac in 2001, shortly after he took over the presidency from his late father Hafez al-Assad.
The award was returned to France via the Romanian embassy in Damascus, which currently represents French interests in Syria.
The joint US, British and French strikes on Syria came after al-Assad was accused by the opposition of launching a gas attack on the city of Douma, outside Damascus, killing dozens of people.
On Monday, the Elysee Palace in Paris said it had launched a disciplinary procedure to withdraw the award from al-Assad.
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