Biden raises Syria with Qatari premier; U.S. to reduce embassy staff in Damascus

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday met the prime minister of crucial Gulf ally Qatar at the White House, and discussed the deepening violence in Syria, officials said.

National Security Advisor Tom Donilon also joined the meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, which also touched on key regional issues amid maritime tensions between the United States and Iran.

“In particular, they condemned the ongoing violence in Syria perpetrated by the Assad regime and noted the significance of the Arab League observer mission’s final report due on January 19,” a White House statement said.

“The Vice President and Mr. Donilon also reaffirmed the longstanding commitment of the United States to the security of our partners and allies, and agreed with the Prime Minister on the need to maintain stability in the region.”

Earlier, President Bashar al-Assad vowed to defeat a “conspiracy” against Syria, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton branded a rare speech he delivered the day before as “chillingly clinical.”

And the Assad regime’s deadly 10-month crackdown on dissent showed no signs of abating, with a rocket attack killing at least seven people in the flashpoint central city of Homs, including a French reporter and six Syrians.

Meanwhile, the United States said on Wednesday that it would reduce the number of staff at its embassy in Damascus amid fears for their safety over the Syrian government’s deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

The orders were contained in a new U.S. State Department travel warning, an update to one issued in October in which staff were restricted and family members asked to leave.

“The department has decided to further reduce the number of employees present in Damascus, and has ordered a number of employees to depart Syria as soon as possible,” the State Department said.

With the cutback, it said, the embassy’s consular section will no longer have regular public opening hours and visitors will be required to make appointments in advance.

“Our ability to assist U.S. citizens in an emergency is extremely limited and may be further constrained by the fluid security situation,” the State Department said.

In December, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, returned to Damascus, where he has championed protesters facing a deadly crackdown, after he was abruptly pulled out in October due to threats.

The United States has repeatedly called for al-Assad to step down over his regime’s violent crackdown on protesters that U.N. officials say has so far cost the lives of more than 5,000 people.