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US Official Meets Syrian President

   VOA News 17 February 2010
   Syrian  President  Bashar  al-Assad  (L)  meets U.S. Undersecretary of
   State  for Political Affairs William Burns, in Damascus, Syria, 17 Feb
   2010

Photo: AP

   Syrian  President  Bashar  al-Assad  (L)  meets U.S. Undersecretary of
   State  for Political Affairs William Burns, in Damascus, Syria, 17 Feb
   2010

   A  senior  U.S.  official  is meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
   Wednesday,   a   day  after  U.S.  President  Barack  Obama  nominated
   Washington's first ambassador to Syria since 2005.
   State  Department  official  William  Burns is meeting with the Syrian
   leader in Damascus
   On  Tuesday, the White House named long-time U.S. diplomat Robert Ford
   to  serve  as  ambassador  to Syria.  The U.S. Senate must confirm the
   appointment.
   Ford,  who  is  fluent  in  Arabic,  now  serves  as  the  U.S. deputy
   ambassador  in Iraq.  He also served as the U.S. ambassador to Algeria
   from 2006 to 2008.
   The  White  House  said  the  appointment represents President Obama's
   commitment  to  advance U.S. interests by improving communication with
   Syria's government and people.
   The  United  States  said  in  June  that  it planned to reinstate its
   ambassador  to Syria, as part of the Obama administration's efforts to
   improve  relations  with  Syria  and  advance  the  Middle  East peace
   process.
   The  United  States  withdrew  its  last ambassador to Syria after the
   assassination  of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
   Many  countries  have blamed Syria for the assassination, but Damascus
   has denied involvement.
   The  U.S. has long accused Syria of supporting Islamic militant groups
   Hamas  and  Hezbollah,  both  of  which  the  U.S. considers terrorist
   organizations.  Washington also has voiced concern about Syria's human
   rights record and its role in neighboring Lebanon.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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