Clinton's Syria Pointman Resigns

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's pointman for Syria, Fred Hof, is stepping down at a crucial time as world powers seek to end the conflict in the Arab nation.

"I can confirm that he is going to be retiring," a senior State Department official said late Tuesday.

"He's had a wonderful, terrific, long and distinguished career in government service," said the official, who asked to remain anonymous.

Hof, who was appointed in March to be Clinton's special advisor for Syria, is retiring to spend more time with his family, he added.

"As happens to folks who have dedicated so much of their lives to government work there comes a time when it really is important for us to reconnect with our families... and that's the reason he is retiring."

Hof has spent much of his diplomatic career working in the Middle East, and prior to taking up this post he was the special coordinator for regional affairs, reporting directly to then special envoy for the Middle East, George Mitchell.

Hof has spent time in recent months building contacts with the Syrian opposition abroad, as the United States and international powers seek to bring the disparate community together and push for political transition in Syria.

His work has also been shared with U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, who has been actively working to bring an end to the 18-month conflict in which some 29,000 people are said to have been killed.

"We have a number of people who are fully engaged on Syria. Ambassador Ford is relentlessly working the issue," the official said.

"We have a number of key players at all levels... who are working on the Syria issue but we will look obviously to ensure that Fred's role is sustained in terms of the excellent work he's done in trying to bring together the opposition in particular."