WASHINGTON — The US State Department was dismayed Friday by criticism from Syria over a visit by the US ambassador to Hama, slamming as "absolute rubbish" the charge that his presence in the restive city was a provocation.
Ford left Hama at midday Friday after meeting several demonstrators and returned to Damascus, said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, adding the Syrian authorities had been informed in advance of the visit.
"Frankly we're a little bit dismayed" at the Syrian reaction, Nuland told reporters in Washington, adding the idea that Ford's trip to the flashpoint city was a surprise for the Syrian government "doesn't make sense."
A senior US official speaking on condition of anonymity Thursday said Ford had ventured to the city some 130 miles (210 kilometers) north of the capital "to make contact" with opposition leaders.
Nuland acknowledged that Ford was there in part to witness the mass demonstrations, which drew hundreds of thousands of anti-regime protesters into the streets after Friday prayers.
Damascus swiftly denounced the move as an incitement to violence and a meddling in Syria's internal affairs.
"The presence of the US ambassador in Hama without previous permission is obvious proof of the implication of the United States in the ongoing events, and of their attempts to increase (tensions), which damage Syria's security and stability," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The State Department responded in turn, saying Ford met with "lots of average citizens."
"He witnessed average Syrians asking for change in their country," Nuland said, adding that Syria's complaint that his visit was a provocation is "absolute rubbish."
Nuland said Thursday that Syrian authorities had been notified in advance of Ford's trip to the city.
Hama has been a symbol of opposition since the 1982 crackdown on a revolt by the banned Muslim Brotherhood against then-presid ent Hafez al-Assad, father of the present leader, in which some 20,000 people were killed.
In Damascus, US embassy spokesman JJ Harder said that Ford visited Hama as an observer and "certainly did not incite anyone to anything."
Ford "met with average Syrian citizens and received a warm welcome. Some had been part of the marches in the Syrian streets over the past few months."
The ambassador "wanted to see with his own eyes what was happening on the ground," as "the lack of uninhibited access for international media makes this even more important," said Harder.
"Happily," Harder added, Ford "did not witness violence from either the government or the protesters."
Earlier, Syria's Interior Ministry claimed that Ford had met "saboteurs" in Hama "who erected checkpoints, cut traffic and prevented citizens from going to work."
Ford "incited these saboteurs to violence, to demonstrate and to refuse dialogue" with the government of President Bash ar al-Assad, the ministry said.
Harder too said the embassy had informed the Syrian government that a US delegation was going to Hama on Thursday and Friday.
"We wish the Syrian government would allow international media to have unfettered access so that they could report on this," said Harder.
He added that Ford saw "no evidence" of Syrian government claims that armed gangs are the problem in Hama.
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