The Syrian government is prepared to discuss the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil revealed Tuesday in a press conference. He cautioned, however, that Assad’s departure must not be a precondition for engaging in peace talks. Following President Obama’s threat Monday of military intervention should Syria use chemical weapons, Jamil also warned that “those who contemplate [intervention] are rushing into a much wider confrontation, one that goes beyond Syrian borders.” Syrian opposition activists report that at least 20 people in Damascus and a dozen more in Aleppo were killed by recent government attacks.
