U.S. withdraws ambassador from Syria

Lebanese police officers block the scene of a massive bomb attack that tore through the motorcade of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut, Lebanon Monday. Hariri, who resigned last fall following a sharp dispute with Syria, died in the blast along with at least nine other people Monday. About 100 people were also wounded in the assassination, which raised immediate fears that Lebanon, largely peaceful since the 1990 end of its civil war, would be plunged into a new cycle of violence. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

WASHINGTON — The United States has recalled its ambassador to Syria amid rising tensions over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon.

Before departing, U.S. Ambassador Margaret Scobey delivered a stern note, called a demarche in diplomatic parlance, to the Syrian government, said an official who discussed the situation only on grounds of anonymity.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, announcing the move, said it reflected the Bush administration’s ‘‘profound outrage’’ over Hariri’s assassination.

Boucher did not accuse Syria of being involved in the bombing Monday in Beirut. ‘‘I have been careful to say we do not know who committed the murder at this time,’’ he said.

But he said the deadly attack illustrated that Syria’s strong military and political presence in Lebanon was a problem and had not provided security in the neighboring country.

‘‘It reminds us even more starkly that the Syrian presence in Lebanon is not good,’’ Boucher said. ‘‘It has not brought anything to the Lebanese people.’’

Boucher refused to describe Syria’s reaction to Scobey’s diplomatic messages in Damascus. Syria has not yet taken any reciprocal action, such as withdrawing its own ambassador to Washington.

Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he sees no immediate need to change EU relations with Syria. In an interview with The Associated Press, Solana said he would also support an international investigation into the bombing.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan, apparently referring to the note Scobey delivered to the Syrian foreign ministry, said the United States has ‘‘made it clear to Syria that we expect Syria to act in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolution calling for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and the disbanding of militias,’’

Also, McClellan said, ‘‘we also made it clear to Syria that we want them to use their influence to prevent the kind of terrorist attack that took place yesterday from happening.’’