Syria: Assad regime can crumble anytime, says UN official

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Syria: Assad regime can crumble anytime, says UN official

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UN's observer in Syria said Friday it's just a matter of time before Assad's regime crumbles.

27 July,2012 09:00 pm

Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, whose three-month mission in Damascus ended last week, also said the situation in Syria is likely to remain unstable even if Assads government steps down.Its impossible to imagine a future in Syria where the current people in power remain in power. So in that view, its just a matter of time before this regime collapses. And that is how its supposed to be, Mood told a news conference in Oslo. That could happen, he said, if more members of the military simultaneously leave the ranks of the government to join the opposition.But Mood also said that if Assads regime collapses, it might not be the end of Syrias many problems. That might not be the start of a dialogue. That could easily be the start of a situation that is way worse, he said.Since last week, Syrian rebels have made a run on the countrys two largest cities, Aleppo and Damascus. Regime forces have responded with overwhelming firepower, ushering in some of the most serious violence the cities have seen in 17 months of conflict.Mood warned that Assads regime still has great military muscle left to apply in the conflict and that the situation could very well carry on for months or even years.The government has large military forces that still havent been used to the full. Even if we in the past few weeks have seen combat helicopters and planes, there is still much (of that) left, he said, according to NTB, the Norwegian national news agency. When it comes to violence, they have no sense of understanding for what we call proportionality.