Syrian accuses U.N pointman of "bias"

Syria accuses U.N. pointman of 'bias' UPDATED: Jan 10, 2013 18:14 GMT Syria accused the diplomat working to forge peace of an unfair tilt toward the enemies of Damascus, according to a state news report on Thursday. Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. and Arab League special envoy to Syria, has"deviated from the essence of his mission and clearly unveiled his bias to circles known for conspiring against Syria and the interests of the Syrian people who have not read the political program for solving crisis objectively," the report said. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, a governmentmouthpiece, quoted an official source at the Foreignand Expatriates Ministry. Syria's remarks come after the BBC interviewed Brahimi,who has been trying to persuade the government and rebels to cease hostilities, urge world powers to move along a political settlement, and end a civil war that has left morethan 60,000 people dead. Brahimi told BBC that President Bashar al-Assad told him last month that "he was thinking of taking a newinitiative." Brahimi was quoted as saying he told al-Assad that "it would haveto be different from initiatives in the past ... which had not changed the situation one iota." But, Brahimi said, "what has been said this time is not really different. It is perhapseven more sectarian, more one-sided." In a public address on Sunday, al-Assad laid out a plan for a solution to the crisis, which he said should start with regional countriesending their support for"terrorists." The government frequently usesthat term to describe dissidents. It includes a national dialogue as well as the drawing of a new constitution that would be put up for a public referendum. A major caveat to the plan: Al-Assad said he will not deal with"terrorists." BBC said Brahimi confirmed reports that al-Assad told him he was considering a run for president next year.Al-Assad and his late father, Hafez, before him have run Syria for decades. "I think what people are saying is, a family ruling for 40 years is a little bit too long," he saidThe international community is talking about the need fora government transition. Brahimi said al-Assad uses the word, "but whether he means the transition that is needed is uncertain." The Syrian source said Damascus "expected the U.N. envoy to read and analyze the political programfor solving the crisis which we provided his office in Damascus with a copy of, asthe only way out of the crisis, for it is based on the comprehensive dialogue among all elements of the Syrian society to agree on anational pact to be put to referendum and charts the political, economic and judicial system of Syria on democratic pluralistic bases." Top British diplomat: "All options are on the table" British Foreign Secretary William Hague told the Houseof Commons on Thursday that the country will ramp upits help for the opposition inan effort to achieve a political transition. But he said that "all options are on the table."