US closes Embassy in Syria while Obama still trusts political solution

EE.UU. today closed its Embassy in Damascus and withdrew all his personal diplomatic in Syria for reasons of security, while President Barack Obama still hoped a political solution to the crisis in that country, despite the failure of a resolution condemning the regime at the UN.

"We have suspended our diplomatic in Damascus presence, we have not broken diplomatic relations," he said at his daily press spokesman for the State Department, Victoria Nuland.

Before leaving for Damascus, the American Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, met with the Syrian Minister for foreign, Walid to the Mualem, to inform him of the decision to "suspend" the activity of the Embassy, to United States "is not sufficiently protected" against a possible armed attack.

American Government had been weeks, reiterating its "serious concerns" about the safety of its personnel in Syria, especially following the car bomb attacks in u000aDamascus from December 23 and January 6.

In fact, on January 20 EE.UU. had already warned Syria that would close its Embassy in Damascus if the Government of Bashar Al-Assad did not take measures to ensure the security of its diplomatic personnel.

The situation in Syria, and particularly in Damascus, "is increasingly worrying" and the regime of Assad "lost control", stressed today Nuland.

Last October, Ambassador Ford, which aroused the ire of the Syrian regime to travel to the rebel of Homs after months of the start of the protests bastion, had already been recalled for consultations by fears about their safety, but returned to Damascus in December.

Ford will continue "its dialogue with the Syrian people" through Twitter and Facebook, while Poland agreed to temporarily handle provide consular support to Americans who remain in the Arab country, said spokeswoman.

Parallel to the closure of the Embassy, the u000aState Department issued today a new warning about the dangers of travel to Syria which calls again on American citizens to immediately leave the country.

Violence has increased in recent days, especially in Homs, one of the bastions of the Syrian opposition and where last Friday forces loyal to the regime perpetrated a massacre that left between 147 and 260 dead, according to opposition sources.

Homs returned to be Monday subjected to intense bombardment by the Syrian army in which at least 57 people were killed, according to the opposition group General Commission of the Syria revolution.

From which began the revolt against the regime last March more than 5,000 people have lost their lives by the Government, according to UN figures repression, while opponents point out that the deaths outweigh the 7,000.

"Is very important for us to try to resolve this (the)" u000a(Syria conflict) without resorting to foreign military intervention. "And think that is possible," said Obama in an interview with the NBC network broadcast today.

The President reiterated the need to continue the pressure against the regime that Assad resigns and step to a peaceful transition, which in his view is only a matter of time.

The problem is how to reach a political solution before China and Russia have been vetoed in two occasions, the last last Saturday, a resolution condemning the Syrian regime in the Security Council of the United Nations.

Before the blockade of China and Russia, the European Union announced that it will consider new sanctions against Damascus, although at present it maintains its ambassadors in the Syrian capital.

United Kingdom, for its part, decided to call for consultations its Ambassador in Damascus, but he will not close its legation.

While Russia today criticized harshly to the West by a vote in the u000aUN draft resolution on Syria without waiting for the results of the meeting that will keep this Tuesday in Damascus Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Asad.

"Hope" in the United States.UU. It is Lavrov to seize this meeting "to make it absolutely clear to the Asad regime as isolated is", stated thereon Nuland. EFE

Share this article

Digg it!

del.icio.us

MySpace

Facebook

Fark

Reddit

Newsvine