A former peace envoy has said that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad could face war crimes charges over the brutal crackdown by his security forces on opponents of the Syrian regime.
George Mitchell, the former US peace envoy to the Middle East, told a security conference in Dublin that Assad could face war crimes charges just like Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president, who was found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes by a tribunal in The Hague earlier this week.
He added that further action should be taken to increase pressure on the Assad regime.
"I think there are more actions that could be directed at the regime and all those that are supporting what is occuring there particularly the grievous number of deaths and injuries at present." Mitchell said.
He expressed his belief that Syrians would eventually "freely choose their own leaders" and that there would be a "democratic transition".
