US halts Syrian embassy operations, orders diplomats to leave

The State Department on Tuesday demanded that Syria’s government immediately suspend its diplomatic operations in the United States, and staff who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents have been told to leave the country, a senior State Department official said.   

The order essentially shutters Syria’s embassy in Washington, D.C., and  the honorary consulates it runs in Michigan and Texas.

It comes three years since the start of the civil war that has killed more than 140,000 people in Syria, where various opposition groups are fighting to force out President Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. special envoy to Syria Daniel Rubenstein said the order responds to a decision by Assad's government to suspend Syria’s own consular services.

"We have determined it is unacceptable for individuals appointed by that regime to conduct diplomatic or consular operations in the United States," said Rubinstein, whose appointment was announced by the State Department on Monday.

"Consequently, the United States notified the Syrian government today that it must immediately suspend operations of its embassy in Washington, D.C., and its honorary consulates in Troy, Michigan, and Houston, Texas," Rubenstein said in a statement.

However, Rubenstein said the U.S. wants to continue diplomatic relations with Syria and to maintain a relationship – if Assad steps down from power.

The announcement comes as the Syrian conflict enters its fourth year, with little sign that initiatives to ease the crisis are working.

Efforts by the U.S. and Russia to broker a peace settlement now appear to have faded further amid worsening tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine.

Wire services