Bush Administration Explores Possible Opening With Long-Shunned Syria

U.S. protests to Syria over detained journalists

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has officially protested to Syria for not immediately notifying Washington about the arrest of two American journalists, the State Department said on Wednesday.

The two journalists complained to diplomats that their request to notify the U.S. government of their arrest immediately was ignored, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"If the foreign citizen makes a request to the government that their government be notified of their detention, the individual's detention, that has to be done," said McCormack.

"We went back to the Syrian government, expressed our concern and displeasure over that, and told them we would expect that that would not happen in the future," he said.

Syrian authorities released the two Americans, Holli Chmela, 27, and Taylor Luck, 23, last Thursday after detaining them for allegedly entering the country illegally.

The Syrian foreign ministry said the pair had worked for the Jordan Times newspaper based in Amman and had entered Syria illegally through the northern border.

Interview the kidnapped Americans

The so-called "detained" Americans were interviewed and said they were kidnapped in Lebanon by the Syrian regime. For the US News to omit this fact about Syria and shed a light of fortitude upon the Ambassador and his regime who has caused the death of hundreds of US servicemen in Iraq is unconscionable.

Please let Mr. Omstead know that his journalism lacks credibility when he skirts an important issue such as the differentiation between kidnapping and releasing illegal entrants into Syria.

Thank you

Farid Ghadry