Syria: Assad loyalists harass US Ambassador Ford in Damascus

Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat –video footage broadcast on Syrian Addounia TV and later uploaded on YouTube showed US Ambassador to Damascus Robert Ford being subject to pursuit and harassment by a number of Bashar al-Assad supporters.  The US administration had been anxious to show Ambassador Ford speaking with al-Assad regime opponents in Hama and Jassim; however this video clip has now been released as part of an attempt by the al-Assad regime to show that many Syrian were angered by the US ambassador’s presence amongst the Syrian protesters.

The footage – news of which spread after it was re-broadcast on the Foreign Policy magazine website yesterday – shows dozens of al-Assad regime supporters confronting US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford outside the Cham Palace Hotel in Damascus.  The video shows Ford being chased by a number of al-Assad regime loyalists who confront him, chanting slogans in his face, while trying to prevent him from leaving; the US ambassador is then quickly hurried into his vehicle by his security team.  The video also shows one of the Syrian protesters attempting to drape a banner depicting an image of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad around the ambassador.  The US State Department played down this incident, saying that Ambassador Ford was never in any significant danger.

This incident took place one month after the US embassy in Damascus was attacked, something that greatly angered the US administration, leading to Washington making a formal complaint to Damascus.  A US official told Asharq Al-Awsat that “we expect the Syrian government to abide by international treaties regarding protection of diplomats and embassies.”  However the US official did not reveal whether Washington intends to make a formal protest regarding the latest incident.

The video footage of US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford being harassed in Damascus was recorded on 23 August, just one week prior to his recent visit to Jassim in the Daraa Governorate.  This visit also angered the Syrian authorities, who had told Ford not to leave Damascus without first obtaining government approval.

The 4:33 minute recording begins with an Addounia TV news report showing images of a calm Syrian street, and a voice-over saying that “it appears that the improvement of the security situation in Syria has not benefited the US and its Ambassadors to Damascus Robert Ford who appeared suddenly close to the Cham Palace Hotel [in Damascus]…of course Robert Ford was not carrying a peace dove or a box of chocolates in his hands to distribute to the Syrian people.”

The news report then goes on to show an interview with the al-Assad regime supporter who tried to drape a banner of the Syrian president around the US ambassador.  The protester told pro-regime Addounia TV that “we initially came out to march in support of reform and we were surprised when we saw some Westerns standing outside of a branch of the [Syrian] Bar Association.”   He added “we saw foreigners and Americans entering [the Bar Association] with the lawyers.”

During her daily briefing on Tuesday, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland revealed that US Ambassador Robert Ford and several European Union ambassadors were invited by Syrian lawyers holding a sit-in at the Syrian Bar Association to witness their protest.

Nuland stressed that “Ambassador Ford…stood quietly outside [the Syrian Bar Association], he was not involved in any disruptive activity, but some pro-government thugs came and tried to interrupt his bearing of witness.”

She characterized the broadcast of this video as “a cynical effort to portray him [Ford] as an agiteur” adding that “I think this effort to put it up on YouTube is going to backfire because it just allows more public understanding of what the lawyers were trying to say to their own government.”

The Al-Assad loyalist –described as a “thug” by the US State Department spokeswoman – told Addounia TV that he confronted US Ambassador Robert Ford saying “I told him that we have caught you red-handed coming to Syria …to lead the demonstrations in Syria and lead the sabotage and destruction.”

The al-Assad loyalist added that after Ford and his security detail rushed to reach the car, he tried to drape the US Ambassador with an al-Assad banner, telling him “this is Syria, this is Bashar al-Assad, don’t play with this country!”

The interview ends with the pro-regime demonstrator, who does not reveal his name, repeating the phrase “don’t play with this country” with dramatic music being played in the background.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stressed that “the ambassador’s guard force was able to handle the incident, and it ended peacefully, and he left the scene.  So from that perspective, it was a feeble attempt to divert the world’s attention from what’s really going on in Syria with the Syrian people.”