Russia criticised Western nations yesterday for expelling Syrian envoys, calling the move "counterproductive".

It warned them not to seek any new UN Security Council action on the crisis in the Middle Eastern state for the time being.

Russia also said it would block any effort to authorise military intervention, the Interfax news agency reported.

With global anger rising over a massacre in the town of Houla where at least 108 civilians died, Western nations put the blame on the government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad,

Russia said kicking out Syrian envoys closes channels of use in influencing the government to abide by a UN peace plan.

"The expulsion of Syrian ambassadors from the capitals of several leading Western states seems like a counterproductive step to us," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.

The United States, France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, the Netherlands and Bulgaria gave Syria's envoys hours or days to leave in a co- ordinated move that increased Mr Assad's diplomatic isolation.