Syria blasts overt US meddling

Syria has charged the United States with meddling in its internal affairs and inciting unrest by dispatching its ambassador to the restive city of Hama without coordination with Syrian authorities.

In a statement issued in Damascus on Thursday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry criticized US Ambassador Robert Ford for his unauthorized visit to Hama without prior arrangements with Syrian officials, describing it as a “clear evidence” of a US attempt to incite instability in the country, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

”The presence of the US ambassador in Hama city without obtaining a prior permission from the Foreign Ministry, as stipulated by instructions distributed repeatedly to all the embassies, is clear evidence of the US involvement in the ongoing events in Syria and its bid to aggravate the situation which destabilizes Syria,” the Foreign Ministry statement said.

”As Syria alerts to the danger of such irresponsible behavior, it stresses, irrespective of such conduct, its resolve to continue to take all the measures needed to restore security and stability in the country,” added the statement.

The US State Department had earlier announced that Ford’s travel to Hama was made with the intention of showing solidarity with anti-government ‘protestors.’

Observers believe the US move represents an outright attempt to incite revolt in another country, contrary to international diplomatic norms.

In her recent visit to Lithuania, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a threat to the Syrian government, vowing that it will face more unrest unless it implements swift reforms.

She boasted that the clock was ticking against Syria, demanding Damascus to “begin a genuine transition to democracy” or face an increasingly organized resistance,

Some analysts have cast doubt on Clinton’s advocacy of “democracy” in Syria, insisting that it is part of a US effort to impose its hegemony over Syria.

“I think the United States wants a political prize from Syria. They are not interested in reforms inside Syria, because the United States wants to [create a] divide between Iran, Hezbollah and Syria, because it is strategically very important for the United States and Israel,” says political analyst Bassam Abdallah.

Syria has been experiencing unrest in the past months, with demonstrations held both against and in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Hundreds have been reported killed when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes between alleged protesters and state security forces as well as organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards in north of the country.

Meanwhile, in a Thursday address, The Leader Of Islamic Ummah And Oppressed People Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei described Syria as a frontline state in the resistance against Israel, insisting that recent unrest in the country has been propped up and actively supported by US and Israeli elements outside the country and that in no way does it resemble recent popular uprisings in the region.