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The United States will return an American ambassador to Syria after a hiatus of 5 years.

The United States will return an American ambassador to Syria after a hiatus of 5 years. President Barack Obama has nominated veteran diplomat Robert Ford for the post.

The previous U.S. ambassador was recalled in 2005 after former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated in a bombing; it was widely suspected the Syrian government was involved in the attack.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the United States believes there is a need to have a full time representative in Syria:

"To have the kind of discussion and dialogue with Syria that we need, to encourage them where we think they're taking steps that are positive, and also to continue very direct dialogue to express to Syria our concerns about its relationships with various elements in the region as well. Syria has, in the past, been interested in engagement with a variety of countries. We clearly want to see comprehensive peace and that would involve progress on the Syria-Israeli track as well as the other tracks."

The announcement about the return of a U.S. ambassador to Damascus follows