Syrian PM expresses readiness for peaceful govt transfer to opposition

Damascus: Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said early Sunday that the government is ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.

“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.

He did not address reports that President Bashar Assad had left the country.

He also stated that he was ready to "cooperate" with any leadership chosen by the people and for any handover process, after rebels said President Bashar al-Assad had fled the country.

"This country can be a normal country that builds good relations with its neighbours and the world... but this issue is up to any leadership chosen by the Syrian people. We are ready to cooperate with it (that leadership) and offer all possible facilities," Jalali said in a speech broadcast on his Facebook account.

The head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said early Sunday that President Bashar Assad left the country for an undisclosed location, fleeing ahead of insurgents who said they had entered Damascus after a stunning advance across the country.

The events suggested that the end of Assad's regime could be imminent after his bloody 14-year struggle to hold onto control as his country fragmented.

AFP