<p> Assad’s crackdown on six months of pro-democracy protests has envenomed relations with the United States, which has imposed fresh sanctions and rallied world pressure on Syria.<br />President Barack Obama took office in 2009 pledging to engage in dialogue with Damascus and named Ford as ambassador.<br /><br />“Two embassy cars were damaged,” said a witness, who asked not to be identified, adding that the demonstrators were chanting “Abu Hafez (father of Hafez),” a nickname for Assad.<br /><br />The diplomats were visiting Hassan Abdelazim, a centrist politician who has demanded an end to Assad’s crackdown as a condition for any opposition dialogue with the president.<br />Ford was already inside the building when about 200 Assad supporters attacked the embassy vehicles with large rocks and street signs with concrete bases. <br /><br />Embassy staff inside the vehicles were not harmed. Police later extracted the convoy.<br /></p>
<p> Assad’s crackdown on six months of pro-democracy protests has envenomed relations with the United States, which has imposed fresh sanctions and rallied world pressure on Syria.<br />President Barack Obama took office in 2009 pledging to engage in dialogue with Damascus and named Ford as ambassador.<br /><br />“Two embassy cars were damaged,” said a witness, who asked not to be identified, adding that the demonstrators were chanting “Abu Hafez (father of Hafez),” a nickname for Assad.<br /><br />The diplomats were visiting Hassan Abdelazim, a centrist politician who has demanded an end to Assad’s crackdown as a condition for any opposition dialogue with the president.<br />Ford was already inside the building when about 200 Assad supporters attacked the embassy vehicles with large rocks and street signs with concrete bases. <br /><br />Embassy staff inside the vehicles were not harmed. Police later extracted the convoy.<br /></p>