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Obama appoints ambassador to Syria

30 December 2010 21:28 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. President Obama used a recess appointment to name an ambassador to Syria, APA reports quoting jta.org website.

Robert Ford will become the first United States ambassador to Syria since 2005.

Obama made the recess appointment, one of six announced on Wednesday, in order to bypass the need for Senate confirmation. The nomination had been held up by opposition from Republican senators.

The Bush administration recalled its ambassador from Syria in February 2005 in the wake of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Harari, a murder suspected of being perpetrated by Syrian intelligence.

In 2009, Obama announced that he would place a new ambassador in Syria, and named Ford as his choice in February.

Ford formerly served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and as ambassador to Algeria.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), slammed Obama’s decision to make the recess appointment. Ros-Lehtinen is the incoming chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"I am deeply disappointed that the President decided to make such a major concession to the Syrian regime. Using this Congressional recess to make an appointment that has far-reaching policy implications despite Congressional objections and concerns is regrettable," read a statement issued by Ros-Lehtinen’s office.

The statement pointed out that Syria "has continued to sponsor violent extremism and pursue dangerous weapons programs, and has also supplied long-range missiles to Hezbollah and reasserted its destabilizing influence in Lebanon at the expense of that nation’s sovereignty."

"Making underserved concessions to Syria tells the regime in Damascus that it can continue to pursue its dangerous agenda and not face any consequences from the U.S. That is the wrong message to be sending to a regime which continues to harm and threaten U.S. interests and those of such critical allies as Israel," Ros-Lehtinen said.

Obama on Wednesday also appointed Norman Eisen as Ambassador to the Czech Republic.