U.S., rebels urge gloomy Moscow to help oust Assad

Reuters ^ | Thursday, December 13, 2012 | Oliver Holmes

[SunkenCiv]

"We want to commend the Russian government for finally waking up to the reality and acknowledging that the regime's days are numbered," the U.S. State Department spokeswoman said after a senior Kremlin envoy conceded publicly on Thursday that Assad's opponents could win the 20-month-old civil war.

"The question now is, will the Russian government join those of us in the international community who are working with the opposition to try to have a smooth democratic transition?" U.S. spokeswoman Victoria Nuland added in Washington...

...rebel political leader Mouaz al-Khatib said he believed Russia, ally and arms supplier to the Assad dynasty since Soviet times, was looking for ways out of its support for a lost cause... Russia has blocked U.N. efforts to squeeze Assad, who has also had strong support from his long-time sponsor Iran...

International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has met Russian and U.S. officials twice in the past week, is seeking a solution based on an agreement reached in Geneva in June that called for the creation of a transitional government in Syria.

But Russia has repeated warnings that recognition of al-Khatib's coalition, notably by the United States, is undermining diplomacy, and rejected U.S. contentions that the Geneva agreement sent a clear message that Assad should step down...

The opposition chief said he was willing to listen to proposals for Assad to escape with his life... and outlined three scenarios for a change of power:

Al-Khatib ruled out the Russian proposal suggesting Assad hand over power to a transitional government while remaining president, saying it was "disgraceful for a slaughtered nation to accept to have a killer and criminal at its head".

[justa-hairyape]

What unarmed protesters in charge in that part of the world? You must be kidding.

The only thing that the Middle East understands is power. Unless you were prepared to handle Syria just like Iraq, you could only make the situation worse. And that is exactly what is happening. Here is some history of that part of the world.

Chemical warfare in the Middle East: A brief history

[Marine_Uncle]

I could not have stated the true conditions better then what you wrote in post #4.

[x_plus_one]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok0JN_mEJQs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3d_yxJhmjk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrzAX4SJbKY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80fTsaplY5E

Here is some old news.