Robert Ford, the State Department's point man on Syria policy, appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 11. Michael Reynolds/EPA /LANDOV hide caption toggle caption Michael Reynolds/EPA /LANDOV The Two-Way Top U.S. Official Meets With Rebels Inside Syria May 9, 2013 Ambassador Robert Ford, the State Department's point man on Syrian policy, met with the head of the Aleppo military council on Wednesday. Syrian rebels thanked him for the delivery of some 65,000 MREs. Both the visit and the shipment appear to be a sign of support for Gen. Salim Idriss, the rebels' commander.