(FILES) — A picture dated March 16, 2010 shows ambassador Robert Ford appearing before a full committee hearing on his nomination to be ambassador to Syria at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama bypassed on December 29, 2010 Congress to name Ford the first US ambassador to Syria in nearly six years, part of his Middle East engagement drive criticized by Republican opponents. AFP PHOTO/Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
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