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Last update - 17:35 24/06/2009
U.S. to send ambassador to Syria after four-year hiatus
By Reuters
Tags: Basher Assad, Israel News 

President Barack Obama has decided to return a U.S. ambassador to Syria after a four-year hiatus as talks between the two nations intensify, U.S. media reported on Tuesday.

The State Department informed Syria's ambassador to Washington, Imad Mustafa, of Obama's intention on Tuesday night, a senior administration official told the Washington Post.

Moustapha said that U.S.-Syrian relations were headed in the right direction and away from the freeze during the Bush administration.
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"Nevertheless," Mustapha said, "It is still difficult to talk about radical change in the relationship but we can talk about advancing in small, but consecutive and positive steps."

By returning a senior U.S. envoy to Damascus, Obama is seeking to carve out a far larger role for the United States in the region as he works to rehabilitate U.S. relations with the Islamic world and the Arab Middle East, the newspaper said.

"It's in our interests to have an ambassador in Syria," a senior administration official told CNN.

Ambassador Mustafa welcomed the decision to name a U.S. envoy to increase dialogue among stakeholders in the Middle East, CNN said. The announcement of a new ambassador is expected to be made later this week but no individual has been chosen to fill the post, the report states.

A State Department spokesperson was not immediately available late on Tuesday.

Washington withdrew its ambassador from Syria in 2005 to protest the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was assassinated.

The United Nations has cleared the way for a tribunal to investigate the circumstances of that killing. A preliminary report from the UN implicated several Syrian and Lebanese officials in the assassination.

Relations between Syria and the United States improved after Obama took office in January and U.S. officials said he was committed to seeking a peace deal between Syria and Israel as part of an overall Middle East peace deal.

The Syrian government, however, remains under U.S. sanctions, partly because of what the United States describes as a Syrian role in helping insurgents infiltrate Iraq.

The decision to appoint a U.S. ambassador follows a series of recent visits to Damascus by high-level U.S. military and diplomatic delegations, including a trip there this month by Obama's Middle East envoy, George J. Mitchell.

"We've been having more and more discussions, and we need to have someone there to engage," the administration official told CNN.

Recent post-election unrest in Iran was not directly responsible for the decision to increase direct ties to Syria, the source told CNN.

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      1.   Very good! 09:44  |  AlfaRu 24/06/09
      2.   Horrors - Red China Next???? 09:51  |  Mark of Lewiston 24/06/09
      3.   #1, Mark of Lewiston 12:14  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/06/09
      4.   The UN Investigating Syria for Hariri Murder... 12:22  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 24/06/09
      5.   Pulling diplomats is usually a stupid idea 12:47  |  Natallie Durson 24/06/09
      6.   Too easy 13:00  |  Joe 24/06/09
      7.   great news and long overdue 13:50  |  American in NY 24/06/09
      8.   Good Step But.... 14:11  |  MiddleStanian 24/06/09
      9.   What does it take 14:17  |  oz 24/06/09
      10.   In the diplomacy... 14:17  |  Anne 24/06/09
      11.   To #3, Cipora Kohn 14:18  |  MiddleStanian 24/06/09
      12.   What about Lebanese moderates? How do you think they feel? 14:33  |  Avi 24/06/09
      13.   Mr.Obama and his step by step diplomacy. 14:41  |  Stephen. 24/06/09
      14.   natalie doesn`t care if pro-Western leaders are removed in the ME 14:43  |  Avi 24/06/09
      15.   CJK 15:45  |  AlfaRu 24/06/09
      16.   Good news for parties interested in peace 15:47  |  Pal 24/06/09
      17.   ND - Non Destructive 16:01  |  AlfaRu 24/06/09
      18.   Rewarding Syria 16:03  |  Christopher 24/06/09
      19.   Get out of West Bank and Golan Heights 16:12  |  Harold 24/06/09
      20.   Alfaru-your history is flawed 16:12  |  Christopher 24/06/09
      21.   Good relations is important 16:16  |  Natallie Durson 24/06/09
      22.   Assad will be meeting with Obama, soon 17:45  |  Harold 24/06/09
      23.   Harold:"International community wants" 17:47  |  Arie 24/06/09
      24.   Ambassador to Syria 18:33  |  CP 24/06/09
      25.   Alfaru...thank you 19:25  |  Arie 24/06/09
      26.   #22 Harold - Obama is desperate to shake Assad`s hand 19:29  |  *BEN JABO 24/06/09
      27.   REALITY 19:36  |  Mark of Lewiston 24/06/09
      28.   3 Cipora Julianna Kohn 19:44  |  Mark of Lewiston 24/06/09
      29.   syria 04:20  |  charlie 25/06/09
      30.   #15, AlfaRu 07:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/06/09
      31.   #28, Mark of Lewiston 07:51  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/06/09
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