http://www.smh.com.au/world/assad-asylum-offers-20121223-2btgi.html
Assad asylum 'offers' Date December 24, 2012 LEBANON BEIRUT. Several countries are offering asylum to President Bashar Assad to get him to leave Syria, Russia's Foreign Minister says, but Moscow will not mediate on their behalf. ''Several countries in the region have turned to us and suggested, 'Tell Assad we are ready to fix him up','' Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday. ''And we answered, 'What do we have to do with it? If you have such plans, approach him directly.' Advertisement ''If there are people wishing to give him some kind of guarantees, be our guest,'' Mr Lavrov said. He cited ''very serious and well-founded predictions from Western intelligence services suggesting that the fall of the regime will hardly bring an end to this drama and tragedy, that instead the battle will continue with new force''. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
