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FCO advise British Nationals to leave Syria

20th April 2011 Taken from FCO.gov.uk

We are now informing British nationals already in the country to consider leaving by commercial means.

In light of the deterioration in the security situation in Syria we have amended our Travel Advice to inform British nationals that they should consider leaving Syria by commercial means. The safety of British nationals is always our primary concern. At present there is relative freedom of movement with all major roads and airports remaining open and with commercial airlines still running scheduled services with capacity available: it should therefore be possible for British nationals to leave if they choose to do so.

We continue to advise against all but essential travel to the whole of Syria, and against all travel to the following areas:

* the town of Douma to the north-east of Damascus
* the southern city of Deraa and its surrounding towns and villages including Tafas and Sanamiyn. This area includes the Ar Ramtha border crossing whose approach routes go through Deraa itself, but does not include the main border point at Nasib (also called Jaber on the Jordanian side)
* the coastal areas of Syria north of (but not including) Tartous city up to the border with Turkey. This area includes the cities of Baniyas and Latakia
the city of Homs and the nearby town of Talbiseh on the main Damascus-Aleppo highway, where there have been disturbances including live gunfire and deaths.

If you are travelling on the main road, you are advised not to stop or turn off into Talbiseh.

There have been anti-government protests in other towns and cities including Hasseke, Qamishle, Tartous, Harasta and the Damascus suburb of Kafar Sousseh. It is likely that road networks will be blocked during these kinds of demonstrations. In recent days several major highways including Tartous-Latakia, Latakia-Aleppo and Homs-Aleppo have been temporarily cut because of demonstrations or disturbances.

You should take precautions for your personal safety and avoid all public gatherings and demonstrations of any kind, as they all have the potential to turn hostile. If you are caught up in a large gathering, you should keep a low profile and leave the area as soon as it is safe to do so.

FCO Travel Advice for Syria

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