Kuwait urges end to 'bloodshed' in Syria

KUWAIT CITY: The Gulf state of Kuwait on Friday urged a halt in Syria's deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and called for dialogue and "true reforms" to end the crisis.

"The state of Kuwait expresses its extreme pain for the continued bloodshed among the brotherly Syrian people," said a statement by a foreign ministry official cited by state news agency KUNA.

"Kuwait calls for dialogue and a political solution to allow implementing true reforms that meet the legitimate demands of the Syrian people away from the security actions," said the unnamed official.

The statement came after continued protests and demands by MPs for the Kuwaiti government to condemn the military crackdown in Syria and to expel the Syrian ambassador.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011