Oct 24 International

U.S. Ambassador to Syria Leaves Damascus Amid Threats to Safety
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/world/middleeast/us-ambassador-to-syria-leaves-damascus-amid-threats-to-safety.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
By ANTHONY SHADID and STEVEN LEE MYERS
October 24, 2011

BEIRUT — Robert S. Ford, the American ambassador to Damascus who has played a high-profile role in Syria since the uprising began there this year, has left the country after receiving "credible threats against his personal safety," embassy officials said on Monday.

The departure was the latest turn in the tumultuous tenure of Mr. Ford, whose visits to restive cities like Hama and attendance at a funeral for a slain activist have made him a visible figure in Syria.

Since the uprising erupted in March, he has been vocal in his criticism of the government crackdown, even posting statements on his Facebook page.

Haynes Mahoney, the embassy's chargé d'affaires, said no date had been set for Mr. Ford's return to Syria and cautioned that his departure did not mean the United States had formally withdrawn Mr. Ford. Mr. Mahoney will act in Mr. Ford's place while he is gone.

"We're focusing particularly on the incitement in the media, an incitement campaign, I should say, conducted by the Syrian regime, which we hope will stop," Mr. Mahoney said by phone. "At this point, we can't really say when he will return. I hope it will be soon. But it will depend on our assessment of the incitement and the security situation."

Mr. Mahoney declined to specify the threats, though Mr. Ford has frequently been a target of sharp government criticism in both state media and on a television station allied to the regime of President Bashir al-Assad.

Mr. Ford, a seasoned diplomat and Arabic speaker who arrived this year to fill a post that had been vacant since 2005, traveled to Hama in July, when Syrian government forces had withdrawn from the city and demonstrations by hundreds of thousands of protesters had begun. The visit apparently infuriated the government and, weeks later, a released prisoner said that interrogators had sought the names of Syrians seen in videos escorting his car.

Mr. Ford and the embassy itself in Damascus have come under attack before. In September, dozens of pro-government Syrians attempted to assault Mr. Ford's delegation as it traveled to a meeting with an opposition figure in Damascus and then trying to break into an office where the meeting was being held. Mr. Ford and others were essentially trapped inside the office for 90 minutes.

The State Department has repeatedly called on the Syrian authorities to adhere to its international obligations to protect diplomats.

A State Department spokesman, Mark C. Toner, said Monday in a statement that the timing of Mr. Ford's return to his embassy "will depend on our assessment of Syrian regime-led incitement and the security situation on the ground."

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فيلتمان : واشنطن تؤيد مبادرة الجامعة العربية تجاه سوريا
Feltman: Washington supports the Arab League initiative toward Syria
http://www.aksalser.com/?page=view_news&id=127056f45644ef894cce3a0d0cd3ba06&ar=694585498
Monday - October 24 - 2011 - 13:38:45

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle East and North Africa, Jeffrey Feltman said Monday that Washington supports the initiative of the Arab League on Syria

The Feltman at a press conference following a visit to Algeria two days during which he met President Abdul Aziz Bouteflika and senior state officials that "Algeria plays an active role in the Arab League, which would send a delegation to Syria next Wednesday in order to present an Arab plan include the regime and the opposition together, in order to contribute to the cessation of violence and push things forward. "

"We support such initiatives but at the same time we will continue cooperation with our partners to more pressure on President Bashar al-Assad."

On the Libyan case Feltman said "The United States understands that the interest in Algeria there is a transfer of power with a credible and robust in Libya."

He stressed that his visit to Algeria aims to "see the vision and analysis of the Algerian authorities for the current developments in Libya," adding that "it is important for us to understand the position of Algeria about what is happening in the region and discuss the best ways in which Algeria can support the Libyan authority the new phase transition ".

Feltman described the issue of proliferation of weapons in Libya, "as dangerous" for the region and outside the region.

He said that "Algeria leading the management of cross-border problems and so we would like to strengthen our cooperation with Algeria to prevent and control the spread of arms from Libya."