US appoints new envoy to Syria
28-07-2015 04:55 PM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The United States on Monday named a new envoy to Syria, the third since the beginning of the war four years ago.
Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that Michael Ratney, an Arabic speaker who served as US consul general in Jerusalem, and as a diplomat in Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco as well as Qatar, replaces Daniel Rubinstein, who has been tapped as US ambassador to Tunisia.
Kerry urged Ratney " to continue the important work led by his predecessor to shape our response to the complex and devastating conflict in Syria." "We remain committed to reaching a negotiated political transition away from Bashar al-Assad," Kerry added.