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| U.S. Orders Syrian Embassy and Consulates to Suspend Operations | U.S. Orders Syrian Embassy and Consulates to Suspend Operations |
| (6 months later) | |
| WASHINGTON — The United States formally notified the Syrian government on Tuesday that it must suspend operations at its embassy here and at its consulates in Michigan and Texas, the State Department said. | |
| The move stops short of a formal break of relations, but it bars Syria’s envoys here from carrying out diplomatic and consular duties. | The move stops short of a formal break of relations, but it bars Syria’s envoys here from carrying out diplomatic and consular duties. |
| The handful of Syrian diplomats who are still assigned to the embassy and consulates must leave the United States by the end of this month. | The handful of Syrian diplomats who are still assigned to the embassy and consulates must leave the United States by the end of this month. |
| Secretary of State John Kerry, who noted that the government of President Bashar al-Assad had continued to pummel cities and towns, said at a town-hall-style meeting of university students at the State Department that the continued presence of a functioning Syrian Embassy had been “an insult.” | Secretary of State John Kerry, who noted that the government of President Bashar al-Assad had continued to pummel cities and towns, said at a town-hall-style meeting of university students at the State Department that the continued presence of a functioning Syrian Embassy had been “an insult.” |
| “And we closed it,” Mr. Kerry said. “It’s that simple.” | “And we closed it,” Mr. Kerry said. “It’s that simple.” |
| In comments that appeared to acknowledge Mr. Assad’s tenacity, Mr. Kerry did not repeat the Obama administration’s earlier assessment that the Syrian leader’s days were numbered. But Mr. Kerry said that Mr. Assad’s brutal tactics had cost him legitimacy and had ensured that he would face a determined opposition as long as he sought to cling to power. | In comments that appeared to acknowledge Mr. Assad’s tenacity, Mr. Kerry did not repeat the Obama administration’s earlier assessment that the Syrian leader’s days were numbered. But Mr. Kerry said that Mr. Assad’s brutal tactics had cost him legitimacy and had ensured that he would face a determined opposition as long as he sought to cling to power. |
| “Whether they win, don’t win, they can’t regain legitimacy,” Mr. Kerry said. “The people of that country who’ve been driven out, whose kids, parents, brothers, sisters, grandfathers have been killed, are never going to look to him for leadership.” | “Whether they win, don’t win, they can’t regain legitimacy,” Mr. Kerry said. “The people of that country who’ve been driven out, whose kids, parents, brothers, sisters, grandfathers have been killed, are never going to look to him for leadership.” |
| Representatives of the Syrian opposition welcomed the State Department move, but said that far greater pressure on the Assad government was needed to stimulate progress if the moribund peace talks resumed. | Representatives of the Syrian opposition welcomed the State Department move, but said that far greater pressure on the Assad government was needed to stimulate progress if the moribund peace talks resumed. |
| “The Americans really have to think strategically,” Hadi al-Bahra, the chief negotiator for the Syrian opposition, said in an interview. “If they are imagining that the Syrian issue will stay within Syria, they are making a major mistake. ” | “The Americans really have to think strategically,” Hadi al-Bahra, the chief negotiator for the Syrian opposition, said in an interview. “If they are imagining that the Syrian issue will stay within Syria, they are making a major mistake. ” |
| Mr. Bahra acknowledged that the opposition’s military position had weakened in recent months, a development he attributed to the fact that Syrian rebels had been battling Islamic militants as well as the Assad government while receiving only limited military supplies from the United States and other nations. | Mr. Bahra acknowledged that the opposition’s military position had weakened in recent months, a development he attributed to the fact that Syrian rebels had been battling Islamic militants as well as the Assad government while receiving only limited military supplies from the United States and other nations. |
| “We are fighting on two fronts,” he said. “Less and less aid is coming.” | “We are fighting on two fronts,” he said. “Less and less aid is coming.” |
| Mr. Bahra also said that the opposition’s Free Syrian Army was overhauling its leadership and that the United States could help by turning over the training and equipping of rebel fighters to the Pentagon. | Mr. Bahra also said that the opposition’s Free Syrian Army was overhauling its leadership and that the United States could help by turning over the training and equipping of rebel fighters to the Pentagon. |
| “We want it to be within the Defense Department,” he said. “It has bigger resources to provide and knows how to do the military operations better than the other branches.” | “We want it to be within the Defense Department,” he said. “It has bigger resources to provide and knows how to do the military operations better than the other branches.” |
| The Obama administration has been providing nonlethal assistance through the State Department, and the C.I.A. has been mounting a limited effort to train and arm rebel fighters. | The Obama administration has been providing nonlethal assistance through the State Department, and the C.I.A. has been mounting a limited effort to train and arm rebel fighters. |
| The American Embassy in Damascus was closed in February 2012 as security there deteriorated. Syria’s embassy in Washington has stayed open, though there has been no ambassador since December 2011. The State Department said that fewer than a dozen diplomats worked at the Syrian Embassy and Consulates. | The American Embassy in Damascus was closed in February 2012 as security there deteriorated. Syria’s embassy in Washington has stayed open, though there has been no ambassador since December 2011. The State Department said that fewer than a dozen diplomats worked at the Syrian Embassy and Consulates. |
| When the Syrian Embassy announced last week that it would no longer provide consular services, the State Department decided that there was no point in allowing the embassy to operate, the State Department said. | When the Syrian Embassy announced last week that it would no longer provide consular services, the State Department decided that there was no point in allowing the embassy to operate, the State Department said. |
| “Syrian diplomats at the embassy and Syrian honorary consulates are no longer permitted to perform diplomatic or consular functions and those who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must depart the United States,” said a statement by Daniel Rubinstein, who was named on Monday as the new American envoy for Syria. | “Syrian diplomats at the embassy and Syrian honorary consulates are no longer permitted to perform diplomatic or consular functions and those who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must depart the United States,” said a statement by Daniel Rubinstein, who was named on Monday as the new American envoy for Syria. |
| “Despite the differences between our governments, the United States continues to maintain diplomatic relations with the State of Syria as an expression of our longstanding ties with the Syrian people, an interest that will endure long after Bashar al-Assad leaves power,” he added. | “Despite the differences between our governments, the United States continues to maintain diplomatic relations with the State of Syria as an expression of our longstanding ties with the Syrian people, an interest that will endure long after Bashar al-Assad leaves power,” he added. |
| The two rounds of negotiations between the Assad government and the Syrian opposition that were held in Geneva this year made no headway. Mr. Kerry has blamed the Syrian government for the deadlock, and a third round of talks has yet to be scheduled. | The two rounds of negotiations between the Assad government and the Syrian opposition that were held in Geneva this year made no headway. Mr. Kerry has blamed the Syrian government for the deadlock, and a third round of talks has yet to be scheduled. |