U.S. ambassador Ford returning to Syria today

The U.S. ambassador to Syria will return to Damascus later on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, six weeks after he was withdrawn because of threats to his safety.

“Ambassador Robert Ford has completed his consultations in Washington and is returning to Damascus this evening,” a senior State Department official told reporters.

Reuters

U.S. pulls envoy from Syria over safety concerns

The United States has temporarily pulled its ambassador out of Syria as a “result of credible threats against his personal safety,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Monday, accusing Syria of “incitement” against Ambassador Robert Ford. (more…)

U.S. tells Syrians: ‘Don’t expect another Libya’

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Robert Ford toured the city on Thursday to show solidarity with residents facing a security crackdown (more…)

Syria’s link to Hezbollah clouds honeymoon with U.S.

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Syria’s support for the armed Lebanese Shi’ite movement is at odds with its stated aims of improving relations with the United States and resuming peace negotiations with Hezbollah’s arch-foe Israel, diplomats and political analysts said. (more…)

Ford: U.S. sanctions won’t be dropped unless Syria stops supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon

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“Bad news just doesn’t flow upwards over there,” Robert Ford, a career diplomat, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his confirmation hearing as he explained why the U.S. wants to send an ambassador for the first time in five years. (more…)