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U.S. names new special envoy for Syria

17 March 2014 17:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced Monday that Daniel Rubinstein, a senior Middle East expert, will replace Robert Ford as new U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"This position is as important as it is challenging. Like Robert, Daniel is a Senior Foreign Service officer who speaks fluent Arabic and is widely respected in the region," Kerry said in a statement.

Kerry praised Rubinstein, who most recently worked at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, as one of U.S. government's "foremost experts on the Middle East" as he has served in some of the most challenging regional missions, including Syria, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and Tunisia.

"Special Envoy Rubinstein's leadership and counsel will be vital as we redouble our efforts to support the moderate opposition, shore up our partners, counter the rise of extremism that threatens us all, and address the devastating humanitarian crisis and its impact on the neighboring states," Kerry said.

Rubinstein will travel to the Middle East later this month to begin consultations with Syrians and others seeking an end to the Syrian crisis, the top U.S. diplomat added.

Ford, who had served as U.S. Ambassador to Syria since 2011, resigned late last month.