The United States has said it will name an ambassador to Damascus after a five-year absence, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said on Wednesday.

"The United States has nominated an ambassador. This is an American sovereign issue and it is Syria's right to study the nomination," Moualem was quoted by Israel's Haaretz daily as saying.

London-based Syrian-language newspaper Ashara Al-Awsat quoted an unidentified U.S. official as saying Washington had sent a request to the Syrian authorities asking them to accredit its ambassador, Robert Ford, to Damascus.

The U.S. recalled its ambassador from Damascus in February 2005, following the assassination of Lebanese leading politician, ex-Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14 that year in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

Washington claimed Syrian Special Forces were involved in the assassination. The U.S. has also accused Syria of supporting militant groups in the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Lebanon. Damascus has strongly denied the allegations.

The official described Washington's decision to send an ambassador to Damascus as "an important political step, intended to create a foundation of trust in relations with Syria."

However, he said, disagreements still exist between the two states.

The U.S. expects its ambassador to "pave the way towards the sooner resumption of talks between Syria and Israel" and take a course towards the "restructuring of [Syria's] relations with Iraq, Hamas and Hezbollah," the official said.

Syria froze Turkey-mediated Middle East settlement talks with Israel following the latter's offensive in the Gaza Strip in January 2009.

MOSCOW, February 3 (RIA Novosti)