By
Joseph Marks
U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford is trying to remain an important voice in that chaotic and violence-wracked country despite the evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Damascus last week.
In posts on the embassy's Facebook page Thursday and Friday, Ford decried Syrian President Basher Assad's use of heavy artillery against his citizens and pledged to work in Washington on behalf of the Syrian people.
It's not clear whether Ford's posts mean the State Department is attempting to retain an embassy-like influence in Syria -- similar to the department's virtual embassy in Tehran -- or if Ford is simply expressing himself through the easiest means available.
Ford made a point in Thursday's post of saying President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had both decided he should remain ambassador to Syria despite his embassy's closure.
"I left Damascus with immense sadness and regret," Ford wrote. "I wish our departure had not been necessary, but our embassy, along with several other diplomatic missions in the area, was not sufficiently protected, given the new security concerns in the capital."
The embassy Twitter account tweeted links to Ford's Facebook posts Thursday and Friday but the embassy website has been silent since a post explaining the closure.
Other posts to the embassy Facebook and Twitter accounts since the evacuation have been links to news articles and political cartoons.
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