American Embassy in Damascus after attack by Assad loyalists, July 2011 (Reuters)
Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threw stones and tomatoes at US ambassador Robert Ford and other US diplomats who were visiting an opposition figure in Damascus on Thursday, a witness and diplomatic sources said.
"Two embassy cars were damaged. The US delegation is still there and the crowd is surrounding the building," said the witness.
The witness said the diplomats were visiting Hassan Abdelazim, a centrist politician who has been demanding an end to a crackdown on a six month pro-democracy uprising as a condition for any talks with Assad.
In a seperate but related incident, the Syrian government on Thursday accused the United States of inciting violence against its security forces and said it would confront what it described as attempts to interfere in its domestic affairs.
"Recent statements from American administration officials...clearly indicate that the United States is involved in encouraging armed groups to practice violence against the Syrian Arab Army," a Foreign Ministry statement said.
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