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U.S. Ambassador Pulled Out Of Syria Amid Security 'Threats'

Last updated (GMT/UTC): 24.10.2011 13:34
By RFE/RL

The U.S. ambassador to Syria has been pulled out of the country because of what the State Department called "credible threats" to his safety.

Robert Ford, who had upset Syrian leaders by publicly supporting protesters challenging 41 years of rule by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's family, has returned to Washington.

Deputy spokesman Mark Toner said Ford's return to Syria would depend upon the U.S. State Department's assessment of what he called "Syrian regime-led incitement and the security situation on the ground."

Toner also said the United States hoped Assad's regime would end what he called an "incitement campaign" against the U.S. ambassador.

His remarks come after a series of articles that were more inciting against Ford than usual appeared in Syrian state-owned newspapers.

Authorities in Washington said Ford was not being officially "withdrawn" from Syria but rather was called back to the United States for consultations because of the security situation.

Western diplomats say Ford left Syria on October 22. U.S. State Department officials told RFE/RL that they were unable to confirm that report.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Syria's Embassy in Washington said the Syrian ambassador to the United States had been recalled in response to Ford's departure. Roua Shurbaji said ambassador Imad Moustapha left Washington on October 24.

Outspoken Critic

Ford has been an outspoken critic of the Syrian government's use of deadly violence against demonstrators who have been protesting in the streets of Syria for seven months against Assad's rule. He arrived in Damascus to take up the U.S. ambassador's post in January of this year, becoming the first U.S. ambassador in Syria in five years.

Assad's supporters have criticized Ford and accuse him of inciting violence in the country.

Last month, Ford and several of his colleagues at the U.S. Embassy in Syria were pelted with rocks, concrete blocks, tomatoes, and eggs by supporters of Assad as they visited a Syrian opposition figure in Damascus. The cars of the U.S. delegation also were attacked by a group of men brandishing metal bars.

According to the United Nations, more than 3,000 people have been killed in the government's violent crackdown against demonstrators since the protests began in March.

with agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us_ambassador_pulled_out_of_syria/24369436.html

Copyright (c) 2011. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.