Washington complains against detention of one American diplomat in Damascus

The United States yesterday complained against the detention of one American diplomat by the Syrian police for one hour, while he was monitoring a gathering for human rights activists in Damascus.

The spokesman for the US Department Of State Richard Boucher said "our embassy in Damascus complained over this incident by toughest words. The detention of diplomats even for shortest periods of time is a violation of the Geneva agreements," commenting on the status of diplomatic missions and teams.

The spokesman explained that the officials in the Syrian police apologized for what it had seemed a violation for diplomatic practices. He indicated that this diplomat was only watching the gathering in front of the parliament, where there were also other diplomats and journalists.