WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said on Friday he has assumed the role of special envoy to Syria, as the Trump administration moves to lift sanctions on the country.

The United States will appoint President Donald Trump's longtime advisor and current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkey said.

Tom Barrack's dual-hatted role is likely to give Trump more direct finger on the pulse of his Syria policy as the president has vowed to lift decades of US economic sanctions to give the country's people "a chance at greatness.