U.S. ambassador returns to Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. ambassador to Syria, who was removed from the country after threats to his safety, is due to return, U.S. State Department officials have said.

Robert Ford left the Syrian capital, Damascus, in late October. He had angered Syrian authorities by showing solidarity with activists involved in an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

Meanwhile, France's ambassador returned to Damascus on Monday, December 5, having been recalled last month.

News of Mr Ford's return came as the U.S. Secretary of State met seven members of the opposition Syrian National Council in Geneva.

Hillary Clinton said that democratic transition in Syria - where the UN estimates that more than 4,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the uprising in March - meant more than removing Mr Assad. "It means setting Syria on the path of the rule of law and protecting the universal rights of all citizens, regardless of sect or ethnicity or gender," she told journalists.

A senior U.S. state department official told reporters that Mr Ford was expected to leave for Damascus late on Tuesday. "Ambassador Robert Ford has completed his consultations in Washington and is returning to Damascus this evening," the unnamed official said, BBC reported.

Mr Ford left Syria on 24 October as the government crackdown on protesters and a nascent armed insurgency against Mr Assad intensified.