Syria Envoy Summoned Over Filming Of U.S. Protests

A video grab taken from footage uploaded on YouTube shows hundreds of thousands of Syrian antigovernment protesters flooding the streets of Hama earlier this month.

The U.S. State Department has summoned Syria's ambassador after receiving reports of Syrian diplomats filming people protesting peacefully in the United States.

The State Department said that Syrian Ambassador Imad Mustapha was told of "a number of U.S. concerns" involving embassy staff.

Mustapha met with Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric Boswell on July 6, according to a State Department statement.

Syria, meanwhile, accused the United States of "interfering" in its affairs after the U.S. ambassador to the country traveled to Hama and met with protesters there.

The U.S. State Department said in turn that it was "dismayed" by Syria's criticism over Robert Ford's visit to Hama, saying authorities had been informed in advance of the visit.

Activists say hundreds of thousands of Syrians protested on July 8 in Hama and other towns against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

compiled from agency reports