U.S. Said to Be Considering Closing Embassy in Damascus
January 22, 2012, 4:05 AM ESTBy Nicole Gaouette
(Updates with Ross comments in fourth, fifth paragraphs.)
Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is considering closing its embassy in Syria because of deteriorating security, a State Department official said.
No decision has been taken yet, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the internal deliberations.
Security conditions in Syria have deteriorated as the death toll from clashes between protesters and government troops has climbed. The United Nations says that more than 5,400 people have been killed since protests began in March.
Dennis Ross, a former Middle East adviser to President Barack Obama, said it was appropriate for the State Department to consider closing the embassy.
“There are questions about whether you can provide for the security of our personnel with a regime that is increasingly unreliable,” Ross, who last month rejoined the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said in a telephone interview. “I think it also becomes a statement that this is a regime no one can really rely on.”
U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford returned to Damascus last month after being pulled out Oct. 24 due to fears for his safety. At the time, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. would closely monitor risks to its diplomats in the Syrian capital.
--Editors: Terry Atlas, Larry Liebert
To contact the reporter on this story: Nicole Gaouette in Washington at ngaouette@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: John Walcott at jwalcott9@bloomberg.net
