Robert Ford, the first US ambassador to Syria since 2005, arrived Sunday in Damascus where he will have a challenging task to re-engage the two countries which disagree on a raft of issues. "The US ambassador arrived in Damascus," a US embassy source told AFP.
"He will not have any official meetings before submitting his credentials to President Bashar al-Assad," in line with protocol, the source said, adding that the procedure should take place within the week.
Ford's arrival comes almost six years after Washington withdrew ambassador Margaret Scobey, days after the February 2005 assassination in Beirut of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri in a massive car bomb.
The attack was widely blamed on Syria but Damascus has always denied the allegations.