BEIRUT — Syria's ambassador to Iraq defected Wednesday in protest over President Bashar Al-Assad's military crackdown on a 16-month uprising, Syrian opposition sources said. Nawaf Al-Fares, who has close ties to Syrian security, would be the first senior diplomat to quit the embattled government. There has been no comment from Damascus or Baghdad and the White House said it was unable to confirm the defection, news of which broke just before mediator Kofi Annan briefed the UN Security Council on his faltering diplomatic effort to craft a political solution to the crisis. A veteran of Assad's rule who held senior positions under the late president Hafez Al-Assad, Fares is from Deir Al-Zor, the eastern city on the road to Iraq which has been the scene of a ferocious military onslaught by Assad forces. “This is just the beginning of a series of defections on the diplomatic level. We are in touch with several ambassadors," said Mohamed Sermini, a member of the main opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Council. The defection of Fares, a Sunni, could be a major blow to Assad, who wants to convince a skeptical world that he is conducting a legitimate defense of his country against foreign-backed armed groups bent on toppling the government. Fares' decision to jump ship follows the high-profile flight from Syria last week of Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlas, also a Sunni and once a close friend of Assad. Tlas fled to Paris and has not spoken since of his intentions. The apparent crack in Assad's diplomatic ranks came as international diplomacy inched along with few signs that major powers were narrowing their differences on the next steps to address Syria's crisis. Annan briefed the Security Council by video-link from Geneva on the results of this week's diplomatic shuttle to Damascus, Tehran and Baghdad. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Annan said he expected the Security Council to decide the next steps on Syria in coming days and that Assad had identified his nominee to represent the government in potential future talks with the opposition. “He did offer a name and I indicated that I wanted to know a bit more about the individual, so we are at that stage," Annan said. In Moscow, Syrian opposition talks with Russia ended in discord Wednesday, and an opposition leader accused Moscow of pursuing policies that were helping to prolong the bloodshed in the country. “The Syrian people don't understand Russia's position. How can Russia keep supplying arms? How can they keep vetoing resolutions? There needs to be an end to mass killings," said Burhan Ghalioun of the exiled Syrian National Council (SNC). But one member of Syria's opposition said a broader shift may be starting in Moscow, which has stepped up its diplomacy in recent weeks amid hints it may be moderating its support for Assad as turmoil engulfs its long-time ally. “We're trying to work out what exactly Russia is trying to do here. I think they're looking for a genuine solution," a member of the SNC delegation which held talks in Moscow said, asking not to be identified. — Reuters
