Kelley said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will ask the department's consular division to review all processes connected with issuing visas.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The foreign secretary said Mr Conroy was "safely in Lebanon" and "receiving full consular assistance".

BBC: Hague 'horrified' by Syria violence

The second secretary in Venezuela's Washington embassy, Orlando Jose Montanez, and New York consular official Victor Camacaro were declared personae non gratae on Saturday and left the US on Sunday, state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

BBC: Venezuela to investigate Chavez murder allegations