Portugal declares Syrian ambassador persona non grata

Portugal has declared Syrian ambassador to the country as persona non grata, the Portuguese Foreign Ministry said Thursday, Xinhua reported.

"This decision was made based on the recent events, namely the Houla massacre last weekend," said Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Portas.

Currently, the Syrian ambassador to Portugal is Lamia Chakkour, who is based in Paris and also has at her charge the representation of the Syrian government to France and to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Over 100 people were reportedly killed in Syria's central village of Houla. Opposition groups said the tragedy was a result of artillery fire from government forces, while Syrian authorities blamed terrorist and extremist groups for the killings.

Brigadier-General Qasem Jamal Sulaiman, who headed the Syrian government's investigation into the controversial massacre, said Thursday that preliminary investigations indicated that 800 heavily armed men carried out attacks on government forces and slaughtered families in Houla.

Earlier this week, the United States and many of its allies has announced the expulsion of Syrian diplomats from their countries in a coordinated move to step up pressure on Damascus after the mass killings.