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Return of U.S. Ambassador to Syria Depends on Lebanese Polls

A decision by the Obama administration to appoint an ambassador to Damascus depends on Syria's role in the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections, a State Department official told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.
"A decision hasn't been made yet about" the return of the U.S. ambassador to Syria, the official told the newspaper in remarks published Friday, adding that Washington was awaiting the results of the June 7 polls and improvement in Syrian-Lebanese ties before appointing an ambassador.

The U.S. withdrew its ambassador to Syria in 2005 to protest Syrian actions in Lebanon. Washington has also criticized Syria and Iran for supporting militant groups such as the Palestinian Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon's Hizbullah.

The official's comment to the newspaper came as the State Department's top Middle East envoy Jeffrey Feltman visited Syria to try to repair strained relations.

He assured the government in Damascus Thursday that the U.S. is committed to pursuing a comprehensive Middle East peace that would include the Syria-Israel track.

"We came here today as part of President Obama's commitment to use diplomacy, to use dialogue in order to try to see where we can move forward, where our interests overlap, and to see where we can try to work together to bridge the differences that remain in some of our policies," Feltman said.

He was accompanied by White House official Daniel Shapiro, both visiting Damascus for the second time since March. Their trip is part of the Obama administration's outreach to nations shunned by former President George Bush, including Syria's close ally Iran.(Naharnet-AP)

Beirut, 08 May 09, 09:03


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