Monday, August 6, 2012

Breaking News: Syrian prime minister 'defects to Jordan'


Jordanian officials confirm Riad Farid Hijab has arrived in the country, after Syrian state TV said he had been sacked.

Al-Jazeera

"Riad Farid Hijab, the Syrian prime minister, has fled the country, activists say, after state television reported that he was sacked this morning.

The former prime minister arrived in Jordan after being smuggled across the border, Jordanian authorities confirmed to Al Jazeera on Monday.

President Bashar al-Assad appointed Hijab, a former agriculture minister, on June 23, following a parliamentary election in May.

Omar Ghaliwanji, Syria's deputy prime minister, has been chosen to lead a caretaker government, state media reported on Monday.

Authorities hailed the May poll as being a major step towards political reform, but the opposition movement against Assad's government dismissed them as a sham."

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