US Spy Chief: Syria’s Assad Cannot Hold Power
Syrian leader Bashar Assad cannot sustain his hold on power and it is a matter of time before his leadership falls, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told senators, according to Reuters.
“I personally believe it’s a question of time before Assad falls, but that’s the issue, it could be a long time,” Clapper told a Senate intelligence committee hearing. “Protraction of these demonstrations, the opposition continues to be fragmented, but I do not see how he can sustain his rule of Syria.”
Meanwhile, British newspaper the Guardian reported that a copy of the draft U.N. resolution demanding Assad step aside tried to address Russian concerns that the vote could open the door to western military intervention.
The draft obtained by the newspaper said the council is “reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria, emphasising the need to resolve the current crisis in Syria peacefully, and stressing that nothing in this resolution compels states to resort to the use of force or the threat of force,” according to the newspaper.
The draft did not entirely exclude the possibility of military action, however, the newspaper reported.