France, US send their diplomats back to Syria

The United States and France sent their ambassadors back to Syria to champion protesters, demanding that the regime protect the envoys who had been pulled out due to safety fears.US Ambassador Robert Ford and French Ambassador Eric Chevallier had faced harassment and threats as they shone a light on President Bashar al-Assads nine-month crackdown, in which more than 4,000 people are said to have died.We believe his presence in the country is among the most effective ways to send the message that the United States stands with the people of Syria, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said as the two envoys flew back in.Ford will seek to provide reliable reporting on the situation on the ground and engage with the full spectrum of Syrian society on how to end the bloodshed and achieve a peaceful political transition, Toner said.White House spokesman Jay Carney demanded that Syria uphold international obligations to protect foreign diplomats and allow US officers to conduct their work free of intimidation or obstacles.In Paris, deputy foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said that the concerns that led to Chevalliers recall have not gone away but that his work on the ground in Syria is important.France is more than ever at the side of the Syrian people, Nadal told AFP.The US and French ambassadors had both travelled in Syria to document protests and show their support, amid official attempts to prevent international media and observers from witnessing the bloodshed first-hand.The United States announced on October 24 that Ford had been brought back to Washington because of credible threats. Assad supporters had pelted Ford and the embassy staff with tomatoes and damaged US vehicles as they visited an opposition leader in Damascus.The French ambassador was recalled on November 16 after mobs loyal to Assad attacked Frances honorary consulate in the northern city of Latakia and the detached chancery in Aleppo.Toner said the United States felt there was a sense of urgency in sending Ford back to Damascus but said that diplomats would keep a close eye on what Washington viewed as threats to him, including articles in the state-run press.In further pressure on Syria, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday held talks in Geneva with seven opponents of Assad. She called for the protection of women and minorities, a key concern for a future without Assad, as he comes from the minority Alawite sect.A democratic transition includes more than removing the Assad regime, Clinton said in talks with the seven members of the dissident Syrian National Council, which was formed in October.It means setting Syria on the path of the rule of law and protecting the universal rights of all citizens regardless of sect, or ethnicity or gender, she said.The Syrian opposition as represented here recognizes that Syrias minorities have legitimate questions and concerns about their future, the chief US diplomat said.