US nominates its ambassador to Syria

The US government has asked Syria to approve its nomination for a new ambassador in Damascus.

There has not been a US ambassador to the country since Syria was implicated in the murder of Lebanon’s former PM Rafik Hariri five years ago.

The nominee is Robert Ford, a former ambassador to Algeria and most recently a deputy ambassador to Iraq.

The request marks a notable milestone in the re-establishment of official relations between the two countries. BBC