Damascus (Archives)
Photo: Ron Ben-Yishai
US lifts travel warning for Syria
Damascus' news agency quotes State Department official as saying Washington had lifted travel advisory to country
A US Embassy official and Syria's official news agency said that the US State Department has lifted an advisory warning American travelers of security concerns in Syria.
However, Syria remains on a US list of countries supporting terrorism, a designation made in 1979.
In a sign of warming ties, President Barack Obama announced this week that he would nominate a career diplomat to become the first US ambassador to Damascus since 2005.
Syria's official news agency SANA quoted a State Department official as saying the US is lifting the travel warning for Syria.
An official at the US Embassy confirmed the report Saturday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements.
According to SANA, the US State Department has reaffirmed its travel advisories to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Mauritania, Lebanon, Algeria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.
AP and Reuters contributed to this report
