There's now one less spy at the Syrian embassy in Washington. In response to the US announcement earlier on Monday that it has recalled Ambassador Robert Ford, Syria has announced that it has recalled its ambassador to the United States.Labels: Robert Ford, Syrian embassy in Washington, US embassy in Damascus
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:11 PM
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The US has brought home its man in Damascus, Robert Ford, for an open-ended 'vacation' due to 'security concerns' arising from goings on in the Syrian capital. The United States has pulled its ambassador out of Syria over security concerns that have arisen during a seven-month-old popular uprising against President Bashar Assad, Western diplomats said on Monday.Robert Ford was definitely not a stay-at-home ambassador and the only mildly surprising things about this story are that it did not happen much sooner and that the Obama administration has apparently decided not to use Ford's departure to hammer Bashar al-Assad. The State Department briefing later on Monday should be interesting.
Robert Ford left Syria over the weekend, they told Reuters.
The report comes after the European Union (EU) warned Iran on Sunday it would face tougher sanctions if it failed to address concerns about its nuclear program and said they would tighten restrictions on Syria if it continued to repress its population.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Robert Ford, Syrian regime change, US embassy in Damascus
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:22 PM
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Once again, an orchestrated demonstration of Syrians has kicked sand in the collective faces of the Obama administration. Supporters of President Bashar Assad on Thursday pelted [US Ambassador to Syria Robert] Ford - an outspoken critic of the Syrian regime’s brutal crackdown on the country’s six-month-old uprising - with eggs as he visited a prominent Syrian opposition figure in Damascus. He was trapped in the office for about three hours by the hostile pro-government protesters outside until Syrian security forces arrived to escort him out.The last President whose diplomatic corps was kicked around like this? You guessed it: Jimmy Carter's diplomats in Tehran in 1979.
“If you want to avoid rotten eggs, you should advise your country to stop its blatant interference in Syrian affairs and its feverish efforts to seek sanctions against Syria from the U.N. Security Council,” the [Al-Baath] newspaper said.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the White House said the assault was part of a campaign to intimidate diplomats looking into the Assad’s government’s brutal repression of pro-reform demonstrators. The Obama administration summoned Syria’s ambassador in Washington to hear formal U.S. condemnation of the assault.
In comments posted on the embassy’s Facebook page, Ford said Thursday’s attack was not limited to eggs and tomatoes.
“Protesters threw concrete blocks at the windows and hit the cars with iron bars. One person jumped on the hood of the car, tried to kick in the windshield and then jumped on the roof,” Ford wrote.
“Is that peaceful? I’d call it intolerant if not worse.”
Al Baath newspaper said Ford should expect further “unpleasant treatment” as long as his country meddles in Syrian affairs.
“As long as the ambassador believes that diplomacy is the art of instigation against national regimes, he should anticipate unpleasant treatment,” it said.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Damascus, Jimmy Carter, Robert Ford, Syrian regime change, Tehran, US embassy in Damascus
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:32 PM
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In a posting from Sunday (at 7:10 am but that may have been US Eastern time rather than Syrian time) on the Facebook page of the US embassy in Damascus, US ambassador Robert Ford writes that the embassy has been attacked. And that apparently happened more than once on Saturday and Sunday. Obviously Monday's attack was not the first (Hat Tip: Memeorandum). Outside the Embassy demonstrators complained about U.S. policy towards the Syrian government and my trip to Hama.Either the US embassy has been attacked before (and again, there may have been other attacks between the time that Ford's post was written on Sunday and the major attack on Monday) or the Obama administration has adopted the 'Palestinian' definition of 'non-violent,' which includes stone throwing.
As I have said before, we respect the right of all Syrians – and people in all countries - to express their opinions freely and in a climate of mutual respect. We wish the Syrian government would do the same – and stop beating and shooting peaceful demonstrators. I have not seen the police assault a “mnhebak” demonstration yet. I am glad – I want all Syrians to enjoy the right to demonstrate peacefully. On July 9 a “mnhebak” group threw rocks at our embassy, causing some damage. They resorted to violence, unlike the people in Hama, who have stayed peaceful. Go look at the Ba’ath or police headquarters in Hama – no damage that I saw.
Other protesters threw eggs and tomatoes at our embassy. If they cared about their fellow Syrians the protesters would stop throwing this food at us and donate it to those Syrians who don’t have enough to eat. And how ironic that the Syrian Government lets an anti-U.S. demonstration proceed freely while their security thugs beat down olive branch-carrying peaceful protesters elsewhere.
A senior State Department official confirmed the weekend attacks on our embassy in Damascus, “The protest lasted 31 hours across Friday and Saturday with protesters calling for the ambassador to leave. Protesters eventually threw tomatoes, eggs, and later glass and rocks at the Embassy. Two Embassy employees were struck by food.” What did we do? We registered a complaint. No, I am serious. The official recounted, “Ambassador Ford registered U.S. displeasure with these events in an already scheduled July 10 meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister [Walid al-] Muallim. The meeting was requested by the U.S. Embassy in Damascus and had been scheduled since last Thursday. . . . In the same meeting, Ambassador Ford made clear that Syrian government incitement of Syrians against the United States, including through aggressive protesters in front of the Embassy, must stop, and the Syrian government must not use his visit to Hama — meant only to gather information and support freedom of expression — as propaganda.”Read the whole thing.
Labels: Robert Ford, US embassy in Damascus
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:23 AM
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The US State Department on Monday formally condemned Syria for failing to protect the US embassy complex in Damascus from a violent assault it said was encouraged by a pro-government Syrian television station.So what does the world's only superpower do? Send in the Marines to get the ambassador out and protect the embassy grounds? Not in the age of Obama. In the age of Obama the US threatens... to file a lawsuit.
"A television station that is heavily influenced by Syrian authorities encouraged this violent demonstration," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement."
"We strongly condemn the Syrian government's refusal to protect our embassy, and demand compensation for damages. We call on the Syrian government to fulfill its obligations to its own citizens as well," the statement said.Spoke on condition of anonymity? The Secretary of State hasn't got the junk to stand up there and say we're withdrawing our ambassador and instead a low-level functionary speaking on condition of anonymity is trotted out to threaten to summon the Syrian Charge d'Affaires?!?
"We are calling in the Syrian charge [d'affaires] to complain," said the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We feel they failed [in their responsibility to protect US diplomats]. We are going to condemn their slow response."
The French guards fired into the air, wounding two, and the demonstrators stopped. Three French embassy workers were injured. At the U.S. embassy while Syrian guards fired teargas, the U.S. Marines didn’t fire and the mob surged into the embassy breaking windows and wrecking at least part of the building for two and a half hours as Syrian security forces stood by.And what will Obama do about it?
Those are the basic facts. The question is: what does this mean and what will the Obama Administration do about it.
It should immediately drop the policy it has been following, lose its illusions, and return to a tough stance. A tough stance will not change the Syrian regime’s mind but it might help change the Syrian regime. Moreover, the soft policy makes things even worse.And he'll file a lawsuit Barry. He'll file a lawsuit! (Barry and I know each other - if he sees this, he might get a kick out of it).
The attack on the embassy was a response to very mild U.S. criticisms and the visit of the U.S. ambassador to Hama. A Western-style regime, even a dictatorship, would say: Great! The Americans are leaving us alone except for a few gestures and meaningless statements. Let’s play along with them.
But this is the Middle East and the Syrian regime demands of the United States and France what it also demands from its own people: total support or they get bludgeoned into submission.
Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is likely to do nothing and learn nothing. There will be harsh words and much stamping on the floor. But recognize that the Syrian regime is an enemy and act accordingly (and I am NOT repeat NOT talking about military responses)? Not going to happen.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Eric Chevalier, French embassy in Damascus, Robert Ford, Syrian uprising, US embassy in Damascus
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:02 PM
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I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
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