JANUARY 21-27

According to reports, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said that the chances of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad staying in power were getting smaller by the day, but that this should be decided by the Syrian people and not by foreign states. Medvedev’s remarks came as fighting in southwestern Damascus shut down a main highway from the capital. The Syrian government has counted a key ally in Moscow which has accused Western countries of breaching sovereign rights and vetoed UN resolutions against Assad. Russia has warned that removing Assad by force would result in decades of civil war. Medvedev also said that Assad did not appear ready for a negotiated solution to the crisis. 1

• 1. “Russia says Assad’s prospects fading”, The Jordan Times, January 27, 2013 at http://jordantimes.com/russia-says-assads-prospects-fading