bashar-al-assad-reuters-670
Assad vowed in an interview with Russia Today last month that he would never be forced into exile and that he would ''live and die in Syria.'' — File photo by Reuters

DOHA: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has hinted that he would not favor an asylum deal for Syrian President Bashir Assad as a way to end the country's civil war.    

Ban was asked Wednesday about the potential for such a deal. He refrained to comment directly on the matter but told The Associated Press that the United Nations doesn't allow anyone ''impunity.''

Ban says that ''whoever commits (a) gross violation of human rights must be held accountable and should be brought to justice. This is a fundamental principle.''    Ban spoke on the sidelines of UN climate talks in Qatar.

Assad vowed in an interview with Russia Today last month that he would never be forced into exile and that he would ''live and die in Syria.''

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...