The United States on Tuesday suspended operations of Syria’s embassy in Washington and its consulates and told diplomats and staff who are not US citizens or permanent residents to leave the country.
State Department officials said while embassy and consular activities were affected, the United States was not severing diplomatic relations with Syria.US special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had refused to step down and was responsible for atrocities against Syrians.”We have determined it is unacceptable for individuals appointed by that regime to conduct diplomatic or consular operations in the United States,” said Rubinstein.
