Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The State Department said it was examining the prospect of closing the
U.S. embassy in Damascus and evacuating American staffers. The department
said a final decision could be taken by next month.

“While no decision has been made, we have serious concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Damascus,” the State Department said. “We have also advised the Syrian government that unless concrete steps are taken in the coming days, we may have no choice but to close the mission.”

The statement, released on Jan. 20, acknowledged that the U.S. embassy could no longer protect its staffers, particularly Americans. Officials said U.S. diplomats have been unable to leave Damascus to report on the revolt against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“It is clear that’s his [Assad] regime is no longer in full control of
the country, and is only taking Syria toward a dangerous end,” White House
spokesman Jay Carney said. “There have been defections of senior military
officials and a parliamentary representative recently.”

On Jan. 20, the Washington Post said U.S. embassy personnel in Syria
could be evacuated by the end of January. The newspaper quoted officials as
saying that Assad was losing control as well as legitimacy.

“The security situation across Syria, which is deteriorating with each
day that Assad clings to power, demonstrates further that Assad is losing
control of the country and reinforces our point that Assad has lost all
legitimacy,” the Post quoted an official as saying.

Officials said an American, identified as Abdul Khader Chaar, was
believed to have been arrested in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Jan.
8. They said the Assad regime has failed to respond to a State Department
request for information on Chaar.

“We have requested that the government of Syria take additional security measures to protect our embassy, and the Syrian government is considering that request,” State said.

Bloodshed in the Syrian revolt has escalated amid the Arab League
monitoring mission. Officials said about 500 people were killed since
Arab League monitors were deployed in Syria on Dec. 27.

On Jan. 21, at least 15 detainees were killed in a bombing of a truck in
northwestern Syria. The official Syrian Arab News Agency said the attack,
which consisted of four bombings and blamed on “terrorists” took place on
the Idlib-Ariha highway, near the border with Turkey. For its part, the
Syrian opposition said rebel forces captured the town of Duma near Damascus.

  Abdul Khader Chaar, Aleppo, Arab League, Bashar Assad, Damascus, Duma, Jay Carney, may close embassy, State Department, U.S. says Syria’s Assad ‘no longer in full control of the country’