Robert Ford, the first US ambassador to Syria since 2005, arrived Sunday in Damascus to take up what has been described as a challenging post, a US embassy source in Beirut confirmed Sunday.
"Ford will have a challenging job bringing the different views of Syria and the US to some common ground on issues related to Lebanon and neighboring countries," a western diplomat based in Beirut said.
The last US ambassador to Syria was Margaret Scobey, who was asked to leave Syria days after the February 14, 2005, assassination of Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, dpa reported.
The killing of Hariri, along with 22 others, was widely blamed on Syria, though Damascus has always denied the allegations.
Ford's arrival comes as Lebanon is engulfed by political turmoil after the Shiite movement Hezbollah and its allies withdrew from the Lebanese cabinet on Wednesday in protest at the ongoing UN-backed investigation in to Hariri's murder.
The expected indictment by the tribunal had divided the government, after reports indicated that Hezbollah members would be named in connection with Hariri's assassination.
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