Syria recalls envoy from US: Report

Earlier US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford was pulled out, citing "credible threats" against his safety.

DAMASCUS: Syria has recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations, official Al-Ikhbariya television said on Monday, after the US envoy was pulled out of Damascus for safety concerns.

"Syria's ambassador to the United States, Imad Mustapha, will leave Washington for Damascus to hold consultations with Syrian leaders," the report said. There were no further details.

Earlier on Monday a US embassy official in Damascus said that ambassador Robert Ford, an open critic of President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on political dissent, has left Syria indefinitely for security reasons.

The US State Department confirmed that Ford was pulled out, citing "credible threats" against his safety.

"Ambassador Robert Ford is on leave indefinitely. Washington decided to give him the leave out of concerns about his personal safety," the embassy official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Washington's concerns emerged "following critical newspaper articles," said the official, without elaborating.

Ford has come in for heavy criticism by regime supporters in Damascus who have accused him of helping incite violence in the country, where according to UN estimates more than 3,000 people have been killed since mid-March.

The ambassador has also angered the regime by visiting protest hubs outside the capital in a show of solidarity with pro-democracy demonstrators.

The State Department said Ford was brought back to Washington because of "credible threats against his personal safety in Syria."

It said Washington hoped the Syrian government would end its "incitement campaign" against Ford who, he said, "has worked diligently to deliver our message and be our eyes on the ground."

Assad's supporters late last month tried to attack Ford and embassy staff as they visited a Syrian opposition leader in Damascus.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said at the time the pro-regime demonstrators seriously damaged US vehicles and pelted the visitors with tomatoes but did not hurt Ford or his staff.

Following the incident, the United States summoned Mustapha, the Syrian ambassador, and according to State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, he was "read the riot act."