U.S. President Obama has decided to return an American ambassador to Damascus following a break of more than four years, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, Jeffrey D. Feltman, conveyed to the Syrian ambassador in Washington, Imad Mustafa, Tuesday night of Obama's decision, according to a senior administration official.
The Bush administration withdrew its ambassador in February 2005 to protest the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri.
"It was our assessment that total disengagement has not served our interests," the senior official told the newspaper.
