First U.S. ambassador since 2005 arrives in Damascus

First U.S. ambassador since 2005 arrives in Damascus

2011-01-17 07:23:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) -- Robert Ford, the first U.S. ambassador to Syria since 2005, arrived in Damascus on Sunday, the DPA news agency reported.

"Ford will have a challenging job bringing the different views of Syria and the US to some common ground on issues related to Lebanon and neighboring countries," a western diplomat based in Beirut said, as cited by DPA.

Margaret Scobey, the last U.S. ambassador to Syria, was asked to leave after the assassination of Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri in February 14, 2005. The killing of Hariri, along with 22 others, was widely blamed on Syria, despite denials from Damascus.

Ford's arrival follows the withdrawal of eleven ministers from the Lebanese cabinet on Wednesday, bringing down Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government.

The ministers agreed to resign after the collapse of the Saudi-Syrian initiative, which failed to resolve the political tension stemming from the U.N.-backed investigation of the 2005 assassination. Reports have indicated that the tribunal's indictment would link Hezbollah to Hariri's assassination.

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