US Ambassador Robert Ford Pulled Out of Syria

A file handout photo made available by Syria`s official news agency SANA and reissued on 24 October 2011 shows US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford (R) speaking with Syrian President Bashar Assad (H) after presenting his credentials in Damascus, Syria, 27 J

The US has pulled out its ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, because of concerns for his safety, BBC reported, citing officials.

Ford angered Syrian authorities by showing solidarity with activists involved in an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

A US spokesman said Mr Ford had left Damascus at the weekend after "credible threats against his personal safety".

Last month, Ford and colleagues were pelted with eggs and tomatoes when visiting an opposition figure.

He was then briefly trapped in his office by pro-Assad demonstrators.

An official at the US embassy in Damascus told the Associated Press Mr Ford had not been formally recalled.

Mark Toner, a spokesman for the US state department, said Ford's return to Syria would depend on an "assessment of Syrian regime-led incitement and the security situation on the ground".

Ford, an Arabic-speaker who has served in several Arab countries, has expressed solidarity with protesters as well as denouncing Syria's crackdown on its opponents.

In July the ambassador visited the restive city of Hama in July along with his French counterpart, where he met demonstrators.

Last month he was among a group of mainly Western diplomats who paid condolences to the family of a human rights activist allegedly killed under torture.

Protests against President Assad's rule began in March in southern Syria and gradually spread across the country.

According to the UN, more than 3,000 people - mostly unarmed demonstrators - have been killed since then.

Ford arrived in Damascus in January as the first US ambassador to Syria for more than five years.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!