Britain Summons Syrian Diplomat over 'Evil' Massacre

Britain summoned Syria's top diplomat in London to the foreign ministry on Monday to protest against the "sickening and evil" Houla massacre of more than 100 people, the government said.

Syria's charge d'affaires -- their ambassador has been withdrawn -- was warned during the meeting with a top Foreign Office diplomat that the international community would take further action if Damascus does not implement U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan.

Political Director Geoffrey Adams "made clear the UK's condemnation" of the massacre and "described this as a sickening and evil crime," the ministry said in a statement.

Adams called for an urgent international investigation to be carried out into the killings and said that those responsible for the violence should be identified and held accountable.

"Sir Geoffrey said that unless the Syrian regime ceased all military operations immediately and implemented Kofi Annan's six-point plan in full, the international community would take further quick and robust action in response," the statement said.

"He restated that the responsibility to end the violence lay squarely with Assad and those around him, and that spiraling conflict and worsening sectarian violence was a product of the regime's brutal response to dissent."

British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande spoke by telephone on Sunday about the crisis and agreed that France would host a meeting of the Friends of Syria group in Paris.

On Sunday, the U.N. Security Council strongly condemned the Syrian government for using tanks and artillery to target a residential district in the massacre at Houla, central Syria. Of those killed, 49 were children.

Syria has denied any responsibility.