Assad considering political asylum in Latin America if toppled: report

[Bacchus4.0]

Source: Al Arabiya/AP

The embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is considering the possibility to claim political asylum for himself, his family and his close circle in Latin America if he has to cede power, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

“Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister held meetings in Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador over the past week, and brought with him classified personal letters from Assad to local leaders,” the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, reported.

Some Western and Arab countries have previously offered embattled Syrian President Assad to seek asylum and protection for his family if he leaves power.

But the window of opportunity seems to be closing for him. On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hinted that he would not favor an asylum deal for Assad as a way to end the country’s civil war.



Read more: http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/12/05/253495.html

[dlwickham]

1. the man should be put up against the nearest wall and shot

not granted asylum

[leveymg]

2. Same applies to all who would replace him,

along with their foreign sponsors. Crimes against humanity casts a wide net in Syria, and it extends in all directions.

[geek tragedy]

4. But they're not the ones seeking asylum.

It might be too much for even old Hugo Chavez to decry western crimes while defying the world community by refusing to extradite Assad et al.

[leveymg]

5. Somehow, this article appears to be more exhortation than reporting. Nobody's seeking asylum at this

point.

The problem with Assad being forced out is that it doesn't stop the war, as anyone still within the current regime who might replace him is Alawite. This is essentially an Sunni uprising and struggle by the Shi'ia to stave off genocide, as they see it.

[geek tragedy]

6. Last I checked, Kurds and Sunnis didn't get exterminated by the Shiites in Iraq.

Shiite dictatorship over a Sunni majority is not a tenable position, nor should it be.

Shiites need to cut a deal, not try to continue the dictatorship.

[leveymg]

8. That's not an apt precedent. The Syrian Long War of Terror ('76-'83) may be closer

Lots of retribution for Sunni assassinations and bombings, including the '82 massacre in Hama that killed tens of thousands. If anything, the opportunity for revenge against the Shi'ia minority will be far greater if the Syrian Army collapses.

[geek tragedy]

11. Then the Syrian army and Shiites need to cut a deal rather than going all-in.

the Sunnis have every right to overthrow the Shiite regime. every right.

If the Shiites want a fight to the death over who rules Syria, they will lose everything.

[leveymg]

12. The deal has always been what it is now.

The only thing different now is massive outside intervention.

[geek tragedy]

13. What is that deal? Assad has not resigned, nor has his regime agreed

to stop being a dictatorship.

The end of the Assad regime is the beginning, the sine qua non, of negotiations and resolution.

The Assad regime delenda est. Everything after that is subject to negotiations.

[JackRiddler]

17. Are you kidding?

Is ethnic cleansing too partial an extermination for you? Tens of thousands of the Sunni were killed by Shiite death squads. Millions of refugees all over the country. Thousands of Shiites killed in retaliatory bombings. Regions contested by Kurds and Shiites have seen hundreds if not thousands of deaths. Hardly the example to bring up.

[geek tragedy]

18. Tens of thousands of all kinds of people died in Iraq--that was a civil war.

Shiites are making a very big mistake if they risk their lives on maintaining their status as the master race in Syria.

[geek tragedy]

3. If those countries have ANY sense, they'll put up the "no vacancy" sign.

Can't imagine how it would benefit them to have a wretched despot inside their borders-for one they'd have to extradite him to the ICC or other war crimes panels. And protect him against assassination attempts.

And, of course, canoodling with a mass-murdering, child-castrating dictator is usually a bad PR move.

Assange there's a case for, this guy not.

[happyslug]

7. Or yes, I am going to believe a news source owned by people trying to overthrow him!!!

The News source is OWNED by the House of Saud, i.e. the ruling family of Saudi Arabia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Arabiya

Assad is an Ally of Iran, which is presently in a "Cold War" with Saudi Arabia and has been ever since Iran ended up the real winner in the US Invasion of Iraq (The Shiites of Iraq are closely allied with Iran, they were suppressed under Saddam, but with Saddam gone, they are NOW in charge of Iraq and solidly in Iran's Camp even as US troops still operate in Iraq).

The House of Saud has seen what has happened in Iraq and dislikes it immensely for the area where most of the oil Arabia is located. The same area is also a Shiite majority area and thus look to their fellow Shiites in Iran for support. The whole Persian Gulf is nothing but Sunni Dictatorships over Shiite Majorities. If one of them fall, they is a good chance all of them will fall, thus the absolute opposition to Iran by the House of Saudi.

Side Note: Al Queda also OPPOSES Iran, for Al Queda are Radical Sunni Moslem and they oppose violently the Shiites of Iran and the rest of the Persian Gulf.

[Panasonic]

9. No asylum for Assad.

He faces the ICC.

He is a criminal and needs to be punished.

[leveymg]

10. That's going to be a very crowded courtroom at the Hague.

[geek tragedy]

15. Those with powerful enemies and weak friends go to the front of the line. nt

[question everything]

14. He really cannot leave

The Assad family is part of the Alawite - a minority in Syria.

As soon as they no longer rule it, all the Alawites will be massacred.

I have no idea how this can be resolved. Perhaps dividing the country into several regions and provide the Alawites a small protectorate.

[SoapBox]

16. Latin America, eh?

Well, yes I'll sort of say it.

We all know, after WWII, who went into hiding in South America.

Maybe he should just head on down there instead.