Syrian ambassador denies seeking asylum

The Syrian Ambassador to Algeria, Namir Waheeb al-Ghanem has denied that he sought political asylum in France. Al-Ghanem told the Algerian daily Shorouk that he still resides in Syria with his family and that the rumours are untrue. Conflicting reports were published about the defection of the Syrian ambassador in Algeria; some opposition leaders confirmed the news, such as Salim Abu al-Daad, member of the executive body of the Syrian democratic bloc: "We are 100% sure of that the information; the Syrian ambassador in Algiers, Namir Waheeb al-Ghanem formally requested political asylum to France and all the members of his family left Syria," "The defection of the diplomat is a painful blow to the regime and shows that the regime is collapsing." But the Syrian Ambassador denied the report: “I am still in office. These are misleading rumours from the opposition to destabilise the Syrian regime. “My wife works as a diplomat in France, but all my family is still in Latakia.” Ghanem said he regretted that the opposition resorted to “unethical methods” to deal with the Syrian crisis. “Despite what happened, our hearts are still open to them,” he added. The spokesman for the Syrian Revolution Coordinators in Algeria, Adlan Bush, told Arabstoday that the Syrian Ambassador might have sought political asylum in France following Algeria’s refusal to receive Bashar al-Assad in case he applied for political asylum.