SENIOR SYRIAN DIPLOMAT IN ARMENIA DEFECTS

Ya Libnan
July 31 2012
Lebanon

A senior diplomat from the Syrian Embassy in Armenia appears to have
defected to Dubai, joining several of his colleagues in openly backing
the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Al-Jazeera television reported over the weekend that Mohammed Hosam,
the number two figure at the embassy, has voiced support for the
Syrian opposition’s struggle to topple al-Assad.

Diplomatic sources in Yerevan essentially confirmed the report on
Monday. They told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) that Hosam
has already left Yerevan for Dubai on a regular flight operated by
a United Arab Emirates airline.

According to the Syrian Embassy, Hosam did not report for work
and embassy officials could not contact him on Monday. The Armenian
Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tigran Balayan, said later in the day that
official Yerevan has so far received no requests from the Syrian side
to terminate the diplomat’s accreditation.

Hosam is not the first Syrian diplomat to join the opposition ranks.

Syria’s ambassadors to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus
already defected to the opposition.

The vast majority of Syria’s 80,000 Armenians live in Aleppo , which
has been the focal point of fierce fighting between Syrian government
troops and rebels over the past week.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress