Robert Ford, who is set to become the U.S. ambassador to Syria, said that the fact that Washington was sending him to Damascus did not mean that America's attitude to Syria had changed; it was still a terror state, as far as the U.S. was concerned. He told Republican senators Tuesday that Syria continues to support Hamas, Hizbullah, and Islamic Jihad. Ford said that by having an ambassador in Washington, the U.S. would better be able to present its positions to Damascus.