U.S. may close embassy in Syria
By Elise Labott
The United States is considering closing its embassy in Damascus, Syria because of security concerns, two senior U.S. officials tell CNN.
The embassy has only a "handful" of staff working with Ambassador Robert Ford. Most of the staff were evacuated earlier in the year and the diplomatic team was further reduced last week.
"We have had increasing concerns of the safety of our personnel, one senior State Department official said. "We have not made any decisions but it is under serious consideration."
The U.S. has asked the Syrian government for increased security around the embassy. In October, the U.S. pulled Ford after he was attacked by what a U.S. official described as an "armed mob" in Damascus. He returned in December.
"Our decisions will be based on that" another senior official said. "It is not clear they will do what we need."
Closing the embassy would effectively severe any remaining diplomatic relations with Syria. In addition, there is concern that the removal of Ambassador Ford would hamper a key American outreach to Syrian opposition.
The State Department issued a statement late Friday saying no decision has been made but the U.S. has "serious concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Damascus, including the recent spate of car bombs, and about the safety and security of embassy personnel."
"We have requested that the government of Syria take additional security measures to protect our embassy, and the Syrian government is considering that request. We have also advised the Syrian government that unless concrete steps are taken in the coming days we may have no choice but to close the mission," the statement said.
A third senior State Department official insists that no final decision has been made.
"This is not the end of the story," the official said, adding that Ambassador Ford "will stay if we are able to have the right type of physical steps that would give us security at the embassy."
The official said while the Syrian government is not welcoming Ambassador Ford for regular discussions about the violence, the Syrian government has been willing to talk to him about various options to protect the embassy.
"We have taken to them some very real security concerns we have about the facility," the official said.
"They have taken our concerns seriously and are engaged," the official said. "They have taken some steps, but at this point they are not sufficient to address what we see is a very real threat against the embassy buildings."
Growing American concerns about the security of the embassy further heightened after suicide attackers exploded two car bombs outside Syrian security facilities last month, which this official said "bear all the hallmarks of al Qaeda."
The official stressed the U.S. has no information about who was involved in the attacks, although Syria has blamed al-Qaeda.
Syrian authorities have restricted traffic around government facilities and added barriers, steps the official said the U.S. and other embassies with similar concerns asked the regime to take.
The official noted that the American embassy in Damascus is not set back very far from the road. The embassy survived a bomb attack in 2006 because the device did not detonate.
It also comes as the U.S. is asking the Syrian government for information regarding an American man who is reported to have been arrested in Aleppo. Abdelkadar Chaar, 22, was born in Syracuse, New York, moved to Aleppo with his parents when he was a boy and is currently a medical student at Aleppo University, his uncle Sam Chaar told CNN. The medical student was arrested early in the morning on January 8; his family has not been told why, the elder Chaar said.
The U.S. requested confirmation of the arrest and consular access from the Syrians, State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Friday.
Syria smoldered Friday as anti-government demonstrators poured into the streets and the Arab League mulled an extension of its monitoring mission. Protesters focused their attention on political prisoners and demanded the release of detainees. At least 10 people were slain in clashes Friday, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition activist group.
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
certainly like your website however you need to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very bothersome to inform the truth then again I'll surely come back again.
It's about F'n time!.. Now only 149 more we need to close in countries around te world. "Most of which most Americans don't even know exist but are paying for and cost billions" Just another way the American governments thinks the less we know, the better. Stealing our money as if it's theirs, before we even make it. Close the hell out them.. Bring our troops home, and FIX OUR COUNTRY FOR ONCE!!!!!
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And we will miss WHAT by closing the embassy?
Why doesn't Pres Obama use the military to protect civilians (including US civilians and diplomats), like he did in Libya?
This just in reported in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz by reporter Chemi Shalev
Uproar after Jewish American Andrew Adler of the Atlanta Jewish Times.....suggests Israel give Mossad the go ahead to assassinate our U.S. President in order to perserve Israel's existence. Adler goes on to suggest that its not unfathomable to think such talk is/has gone on in Israeli's gov't circles.
Why is this not being reported in the U.S. media.....and why hasn't this Adler been arrested for making direct threats to our President?
Seriously, this hasn't been done already?
RON PAUL HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR DECADES and Now you listen?? remember who is running as a president FOR THE PEOPLE
So we are closing it for security concerns but not because the Dictator uses tanks to blow citizens of his country to pieces?
If Dems went after world thugs as viciously as they go after those tea party folks, then maybe dictators the world over wont be thumbing their noses at us.
If the biggest presidential idiot in American history – GW Bush – hadn't declared war on the entire world we wouldn't be in this mess. To evenge his father's humiliation. That's why the American people drop kicked GW Bush jr. .. Rick Perry back to Texas.
Pres Bush didn't declare war on anyone. Unlike Pres Obama, he knew and respected the fact that only Congress could give him the permission to enter into hostilities. So after Congress, including then-Sen Clinton and Biden, said he could use the military for that purpose, he did so.
Those two are not in the Obama Administration, and Pres Obama unilaterally declared war on a country – Libya. So he has exerience in doing it. Why not do the same thing in Syria? Or Egypt? Or Bahrain? Or...?
Those two are NOW in the....
Sorry for any confusion.
word to the wise...aim for the towel (-)
Syria is a terrorist country .
No, But Israel is.
Oh yes, the Jews are causing the riots, Jews are causing people to be shot down in the streets, the Jews are behind all the Islamic terrorism in the world. It must be the Jews behind Middle Easter dictators who bleat on about their warm Islamic faith. Islam has killed more Muslims, and infidels, than the Jews ever thought of doing. I dont see Jew throwing acid in young girls faces or blowing up women and children in their own country.
No, William – Israel just gets us to do their dirty work. Soon we will be attacking Iran with force, while simultaneously sucking Israeli cock and taking it up the ass, as they sit by and watch.
That means the next move will be bombs dropping
I say close any embassy in all militant countrys and let them sort it out. we need to focus on our own problems.
Need to pull the Embassy personnel from Iraq next. Maliki is building his dictatorship with the help of his military and Iran. Why is the US arming Maliki's Army????
You are right and Iraq will be in the lap of Iran very soon.
What is Syria? Do they have In&Out Burger there? If not, who cares.
Syria is the roughly the size of Oklahoma, only without Garth Brooks.
So you're saying that Syria is like a country, only smaller? Leave Garth Brooks out of this!
Too many words in this article and not enough pictures of movie stars.
Like, that's your opinion, man.
Shut the eff up Donnie
MARK IT ZERO
"May"???? is not "April" Shut it down we dont need to be there !!! besides our staff security is more important
Everyone Loves Dr.Bashar in Syria so stop hatin =P
Every since America put sanctions on Syria the US went from a rich country to broke .
LOL
Uhummm, well thats just what happens when u lie abt what goes on in the streets of Syria, Truth is ... people love Dr. Bashar....U Americans and Iraqis, Saudi Arabians out there just need to learn to accept it
you keep saying dr bashar. Well maybe he is breaking everyones teeth in syria so that he can fix it and make even more money. lolllll Girl you must be living on some other planet cause we all know what this man is he is pure evil from inside
Well thats just what happens when u lie abt what goes on in the streets of Syria, Truth is ... people love Dr. Bashar....U Americans and Iraqis, Saudi Arabians out there just need to learn to accept it
Pull all of our Ambassadors out of Islamic run countries. They don't want peace with us,They want us in pieces.
Remove all AID and Trade. Just take whatever oil we need from what's left of Iraq. I'm tired of these 2-faced snakes.
Hopefully the air strikes start soon.
The US has no business attacking the soverign state of Syria. They should quit meddling in the internal affairs of other countries. There's no need for airstrikes. They're not a threat to the US. The US is also a soverign country, and it doesn't belong to Israel.
what are you even saying? too many words.
Leave. Bomb. Let someone else rebuild.
www . haaretz . com/news/international/uproar-after-jewish-american-newspaper-publisher-suggests-israel-assassinate-barack-obama-1.408429 Uproar after Jewish American newspaper publisher suggests Israel assassinate Barack Obama
why no mention cnn? garbage jew media
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Haha...are you syrias?
Now it's only a matter of time before the airstrikes begin.
why would the US ask for the Syrian government's help with increased security around the embassy?
some people in Syria believe the US is responsible for all thier problems... common attitude around the world
The Embassy itself has about 20+ guards surrounding the outer walls. Increased security would add more personnel from riots etc that could happen. Those guards are equipped with AK's to protect the personnel that work inside. You then have the marines who are based inside the building allowing people to come in and out. I've been there and lived there for 3 years and completely understand why they would ask for more protection.
In a country where at least 5,000 people have been killed by their own government. I would have hope my country would have done this months ago. Why the hell do we allow you people in Washington to run things in our country. I wish I could fire everyone of you pathetic. I support the people of a country where their is a problem you must blame leadership quality I have for a while believed the quality of leaders in this country has been crap for some time now.
Fill the place with IDE's close the doors and leave.
do you mean "IED"s, idiot?
Can someone please tell me what the difference is between the Libyan & Syrian revolutions? Why did the US & UN feel the need to "protect" the Libyan people and yet don't feel the same sense of urgency where the Syrians are concerned. Curiously, more Syrian protestors have been killed at the hands of government forces and are still being killed, than Libyan protestors! Hmmm... Makes you wonder!
And we need to just consider this?? What do we as a country stand for....oil??
The short answer is that we are bullies. Libya was an easy target, isolated with no support. Syria has Iran, and we have no interest in getting our military involved with anyone we aren't sure we can totally dominate.
How much oil does Syria produce? Get a clue...
Its mostly geographical, with a side of Israel.
so you want us to police the world, then?
Well I'm actually a Ghanaian and I really don't think the US should be the world's policeman. I do however have a problem with the hypocricy of the whole thing. America rushes to bomb Libya because the govt is killing protestors. What would you call what's happening in Syria?
Israel doesn't want a democratic Syria. Israel prefers the Assad dynasty. And since the Israeli lobbyists in DC are the most powerful in this country, we are obligated to support Assad the sadistic child murderer.
Russia wants us to keep our hands and bombs out of Syria, so let's make them happy and go the extra mile, pull out of the middle east altogether. Trained killers are working as contract labor in Saudi Arabia because they aren't rotating through Afghanistan or doing anything else we paid millions to train them to do. If the Russians want to handle the festering septic tank of the world, let them handle it.
These people are hopeless. This region can't handle or doesn't want American style democracy. That's fine with me, America needs to understand not every country wants to be like us. So it's time to get out of the middle east all together. Cut all foreign aid to the middle east. When they show they can be a civilized nation, then maybe we can open the checkbook again. But as of now, America has way to many problems that center on money, and we can't afford to keep trying to fix something that is forever broken.
Word.
Doesn't work like that, my friend. We're giving 3 billion a year to Egypt & Israel each. Syria is very important for US foreign policy.
Get out of the middle east and let those third world people slaughter themselves.
After they they waste all of their energy killing themselves then the U.S. should pillage big time.
It is important for the U.S. to have embassy's across the world.
Why do we need an Embassy there? A place for Jason Bourne to run to?
embassy's
Most Syrians back President Assad, but you'd never know from western media. Google that title. 55% of Syrians SUPPORT Assad staying in power and reforming.
He must be in alot of trouble then... Saddam use to get a 98% approval rating right up until he was overthrown. Night raids on households along with shootig a few out of line loyalist and mustard seed gas tend to make people like you
The Syrians who support this dictator are either stupid or beneficiaries of the regime. Who likes a 40-year era of corruption, lawlessness, and no freedom? Stop insulting us!
Yup Too bad Western Media is behind though Ya know America isnt really western Its America Located Over mexico dont Lower Europe by saying American media is like it
Good, close all your embassies in the ME, and leave LEAVE. Go away. Quit finding the opposition!
Unless the CIA has a post there it makes about as much sense as having an embassy at the North Pole. Unless of course the US wants to see it torched so it can justify a response.
may? wtff is that supposed to insult people or what. may/ fuuck off usa go suck assad's dickkk
Arab Spring: another CIA operation that backfired.
Has it been a week already? Time for another token speech/gesture on Syria so we can ignore it for another week. Seriously, the embassy should have been shut down months ago. I'm glad we aren't intervening militarily, but for us to keep relations with a country that is commiting genocide on it's citizens is beyond the pale.
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group". Murder and torture sure ,but not quite genocide.
Agreed. Cut off ties with the dispicable regime. No military intervention.
Semantics, Buzz Man, one could easily say it is Assads Baath'ists wiping out the majority Sunni population. Which sounds like genocide to me.
Wise move on our part. No need for us to risk American lives unnecessarily. Let the Syrian government answer to its people as it should. I believe that will figure it out....eventually.
And here we go. Something is going to happen soon. I'm thinking Syria, Iran, Israel.
This isn't being done to save money, I'm predicting things are about to get ugly.
I could be wrong (and most of the time, I am). 🙂
We need to stop being dependent on Middle Eastern oil so we can gain our ethics and our honor back and stop having ANY relations with nations who treat their women and religious minorities like cattle.
'bout damn time...
With all the crap that's going on over there, they're just now thinking about closing the embassy ? Way to go. There's nothing better than putting your interest before your people.
Shoulda kicked CIA agent Ford out long ago.
you are a moron
They should have done that a long time ago!
That is what i was thinking
Why wasn't this done about a month ago when the violence started? Its time to isolate these radicals.
I concur...
Well, duh. They need to get those people outta there. No need for any Americans to lose their lives over somthing they have ABSOLUTLEY no control over.
Great way to save money. No sense having an ambassador any place where they can't do serious partying.
Will all that partying going on it should be called "Arab Spring Break."