Washington changes the legal status of the Syrian mission and cancels diplomatic visas.

The United States informed the Syrian mission in New York, through a memorandum delivered via the United Nations, of the change in its legal status from a permanent mission of a member state of the United Nations to a mission representing a government not recognized by the United States.

The memorandum also included the cancellation of visas granted to mission members under the G1 category, which is designated for diplomats accredited to the United Nations and whose governments are recognized by the host country. These visas were replaced with G3 category visas, which are granted to foreign nationals eligible under UN criteria for a visa, without U.S. recognition of their governments.

In a cable sent by the Syrian mission to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Damascus, it was noted that the U.S. memorandum contained a clear declaration of the United States’ non-recognition of the current Syrian transitional government.