Syrian foreign minister welcomes incoming US ambassador

Incoming US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, has met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem and showed him the letter of appointment that he will soon present to Syrian President Bashar Assad, the SANA news agency reported.

According to the report, the two spoke about strengthening the ties between Damascus and Washington. In 2005, then-US President George Bush recalled the previous ambassador, Margaret Scobey, following a suspicion that the Syrian administration is behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. (AFP)