This is a big change in position for the Syrian government. There is a tiny sliver of hope that this means Assad may finally be willing to sit down and at least discuss his exit. Reuters: Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa has told a Lebanese newspaper that neither the forces of President Bashar al-Assad nor rebels can win the war in Syria. Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim in a power structure dominated by Assad's Alawite minority, has rarely appeared in public since the revolt erupted in March 2011. The newspaper, al-Akhbar, released only limited excerpts on Sunday from the interview appearing in Monday's edition, and it was far from clear that Sharaa's comments represented the view of the government. But he is still the most prominent figure to say in public that the crackdown will not win. The paper, which generally takes a pro-Assad line, said Sharaa had been speaking in Damascus. In the first phase of the 21-month-old civil war, which has claimed at least 40,000 lives, Damascus was...(Read Full Post)