WORLD_ Russia Acknowledges That Syrian Leader May Fall

Russia Acknowledges That Syrian Leader May Fall

By By BEN HUBBARD and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press


BEIRUT December 20, 2012 (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin distanced himself further than ever from Syria's embattled leader on Thursday, suggesting that Bashar Assad's regime is growing weaker while warning that his decline could exacerbate the country's crisis.

Putin insisted, however, that Russia's position on the conflict has not changed and that only a negotiated agreement could "prevent a breakup of the country and an endless civil war."

Other Russian officials have made similar statements recently, although Putin's carry much more weight, suggesting that resignation to the idea that Assad could fall extends to the Kremlin's top reaches.

Last week, Russia's top envoy for Syria was quoted as saying Assad's forces were losing control of the country. Although the Foreign Ministry backpedaled on the statement, analysts have suggested for months that Russia's leaders recognize that Assad may fall.

Russia has stood staunchly by Assad throughout the 21-month conflict, providing his forces with weapons and, along with China, protecting his government from censure by the U.N. Security Council for its violent crackdown on the opposition.

His latest comments, however, suggested that Russia realizes Assad's days could be numbered.

"We are not preoccupied that much with the fate of the Assad regime," Putin told reporters during his annual, hours-long press conference in Moscow. "We realize what's going on there and that the family has been in power for 40 years. Undoubtedly, there is a call for changes."

But Putin said the erosion of Assad's regime might extend the war, not end it.

"We are worried about another thing: What happens next," he said. "We don't want to see the opposition come to power and start fighting the government ... so that it goes on forever."

He said Russia does not seek "to keep Assad and his regime in power at any cost," but to foster an agreement among Syrians that "will ensure their safety and their participation in governing the country."

World powers have tried numerous times to push for a political solution in Syria, but neither side has showed any interest in negotiations, both thinking they can win militarily.

The Russian comments came as rebels seeking to drive Assad from power are making gains throughout the country, storming military bases in the north and expanding their control in a string of towns near the capital Damascus, Assad's seat of power.

While few expect the 21-month conflict to end soon, analysts say the balance appears to be tipping in favor of the rebels, however slowly.

Also Thursday, days of intense clashes in a Palestinian refugee community in south Damascus subsided and hundreds residents who had fled returned to their homes after Palestinian leaders negotiated the rebels' exit from the neighborhood.

About one third of Syria's half-million Palestinians live in the Yarmouk district, and more than 100,000 of them fled the area as rebel forces pushed in and clashed with government troops, activists and U.N. officials said.

Most sought shelter on the neighborhood's outskirts, while others moved elsewhere in Damascus or to other cities. A few thousand crossed the border to Lebanon, where the United Nations sought to accommodate them in Lebanon's camps.

One refugee said she returned Thursday to find rebels still in the streets. "I saw damage in Yarmouk street,"

Zeina Abbas, 42, said by phone from the camp, referring to one of the area's thoroughfares.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-acknowledges-syrian-leader-fall-18027652




Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog".
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc .
Kính chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị .




conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
21122012
___________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là đồng lõa với TỘI ÁC