The Obama administration said on Wednesday it will send an ambassador back to Syria after a four-year absence, as Washington tries to engage with a former foe in a bid to revive Arab-Israeli peace talks.
US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters that Washington informed both the Syrian embassy and the foreign ministry in Damascus of “the administration’s decision to return an ambassador to Syria.”
Both the State Department and White House said the move reflects a recognition by US President Barack Obama’s administration “of the important role Syria plays” in bringing peace and stability to the Middle East.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that the decision to send an ambassador back to Damascus did not require a change in Syrian policy, while Kelly said Washington still had “concerns” about Syrian behavior.
“Not anything explicit in order for the president to move to fulfill his promise to more fully engage in the region,” Gibbs said when asked about policy requirements.
The previous administration of former president George W. Bush had put relations with Syria on hold in 2005, following the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.
Ahmed Salkini, a spokesman at the Syrian embassy in Washington, said earlier: “We have been informed unofficially that there will be a US ambassador coming back to Syria. But there is [still] no official communique.”
Salkini described the development as “definitely a step in the right direction and definitely a sign of sincerity from the Obama administration about engagement with Syria.”
Obama has moved to re-engage Damascus, a key regional player, as the US seeks to breathe new life into the faltering peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
As part of his detente, Obama earlier this month dispatched Middle East envoy George Mitchell to Syria to hold landmark talks with President Bashar al-Assad.
After the talks, Mitchell noted his host’s “integral role” in Middle East peace.
In response, Ath-Thawra, a Syrian government newspaper, echoed Washington’s overtures.
“Today, there is real optimism because the two parties realize the importance of improving bilateral relations in order to achieve global peace,” it said.
Ties between the US and Syria deteriorated after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Washington first imposed economic sanctions on Syria in 2004 over charges that it was a state sponsor of terrorism.
But the sharp downturn in relations came after Hariri’s assassination in 2005, blamed on Syria, which prompted Washington to recall its ambassador to Damascus.
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