MESOP : PUTIN GIVES ASSAD A KICK
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is prepared to hold snap elections and share power with opposition parties, telling reporters, “In general, the understanding is that this uniting of efforts in fighting terrorism should go in parallel to some political process in Syria itself.” http://news.yahoo.com/russias-putin-calls-international-coalition-extremism-034337976.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=%2AMideast%20Brief