U.N. mulls Syria resolution amid 'heavy fighting'

The U.N. Security Council discussed Friday a resolution that calls on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down and transfer power to his vice president.

Russia and China boycotted UN Security Council talks on a draft resolution condemning Syria's deadly crackdown on opposition protests, diplomats said Monday.European powers stepped up their campaigning meanwhile for the resolution with one top envoy saying the delay in Security Council action has cost hundreds of lives in Syria.Russia and China strongly oppose UN action against President Bashar al-Assad and could veto any resolution. "They knew about Saturday's talks but they chose not to turn up," said a council diplomat.

PARIS — Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday he is convinced the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons, a day after the United States claimed multiple attacks have killed as many as 150 people. Washington says it has proof Assad’s forces used chemical weapons — including the nerve agent, sarin — against Syrian rebels. Speaking in Paris alongside French President Francois Hollande, Harper said he accepts the U.S. claims.

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian rebels on Wednesday freed 48 Iranians held captive since August after President Bashar Assad’s regime promised to release hundreds of detainees in the first major prisoner swap of the country’s civil war, officials said. The exchange came just days after Assad vowed to press ahead with the fight against rebels despite international pressure to end the bloodshed that has left more than 60,000 people dead.

It would appear the undecideds had it. The WSJ reports that a proposal to arm Syrian rebels was stalled by the White House (cough Obama cough) because of lingering questions about which rebels could be trusted with the arms, whether the transfers would make a difference in the campaign to remove Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, and whether the weapons would add to the suffering.

BEIRUT – Syria’s state-run TV says an explosion has struck the main university in the northern city of Aleppo, causing casualties. The report didn’t give further details about Tuesday’s blast or specify the number of victims. Aleppo is Syria’s largest city and a former commercial hub. It has been a major front in the country’s civil war since July, with frequent battles between regime troops and rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Assad.

Sen. John Kerry has held up Syria as a country that could bring peace and stability to the Mideast and predicted that the now-disgraced government of President Bashar Assad would pursue a legitimate relationship with the United States. Those assertions are certain to draw scrutiny at Kerry’s confirmation hearing to be secretary of state as Assad’s brutal crackdown has plunged his country into civil war.