US aware of Assad asylum offers

Syrians light a fire to keep warm in Aleppo, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. Temperatures dropped to 16 degrees Celsius (60.8 Fahrenheit) in Aleppo. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration said Wednesday that several countries in the Middle East and elsewhere have informally offered to grant asylum to Syrian President Bashar Assadand his family if they leave Syria.

Administration officials also said they were continuing to encourage those close to Assad to defect and said they believed that Syrianforeign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi, who disappeared this week, is currently in London.

The State Department said it couldn't vouch for the sincerity of the Assad asylum offers and noted that they raise serious questions of accountability for abuses committed by his government. But spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. is convinced that Assad must leave and cannot play any role in Syria's future.

"We do understand that some countries both in the region and elsewhere have offered to host Assad and his family should they choose to leave Syria," Toner told reporters. He would not name the countries.

"We, at this point, don't have any formal understanding or knowledge of concrete offers (but) we are aware that some offers have been made informally," he told reporters. His comments came in response to a question about reports that some Latin American countries may be prepared to grant Assad asylum.

Wherever Assad may end up, Toner said the U.S. would insist on his being held accountable for "the horrible abuses he has committed against his own people."

"No one is getting a free pass here," he said. "We want to see Assad gone yesterday. We want to see a peaceful political transition take place (and) Assad has no credibility in that process. He has to go, but there are issues of accountability that have to be addressed."

Toner added that the United States understood from a number of sources that Makdissi was in London. If Makdissi defected, Toner said it would be another sign the Assad government is "crumbling" and that members of Assad's inner circle are realizing that the end is near.

A British official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was unlikely that Makdissi was in London.

Makdissi is a longtime spokesman for Syria's foreign ministry who speaks fluent English. Before the uprising he was one of the most available officials to visiting foreign journalists.

During the uprising, Makdissi has given a number of lengthy news conferences defending the Assad government and repeating its view that Assad is a reformer and that the rebels are foreign-backed terrorists.

In July, Makdissi told reporters that chemical and biological weapons would never be used against Syrians, but only in case of a foreign attack. "All of these types of weapons are in storage and under security and the direct supervision of the Syrian armed forces and will never be used unless Syria is exposed to external aggression," he said.

It appeared to be the first time Syria had acknowledged possessing such weapons. Soon after, however, the government tried to blur the issue, saying it had not said it had such weapons.

Lebanese security officials said Makdissi flew from Beirut to London on Monday, but it is not clear whether Makdissi defected, quit his post or was forced out.

Neither the Syrian nor the British government has commented publicly on the matter

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Rare tornado kills 3 in New Zealand's largest city

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An unusually destructive tornado swept through neighborhoods around New Zealand's largest city Thursday, killing three people and forcing 250 more to evacuate damaged and powerless homes.

The small tornado hit Hobsonville and Whenuapai, western suburbs of Auckland, during a midday storm that also uprooted trees, damaged buildings and caused flooding that closed roads.

Authorities said that as well as those who died, seven people suffering a range of injuries were admitted to hospitals.

The tornado was the deadliest in New Zealand in more than 60 years. Although the country reports about seven tornados on average each year, most are small, mild and do little damage. New Zealand's temperate maritime climate means it isn't prone to the large, destructive tornados that plague places like the American Midwest.

Auckland Council spokesman Glyn Walters said the storm made about 150 homes uninhabitable. He said some of those homes had roofs torn off or were severely damaged while others had more minor damage or had lost power. He said 250 residents were taken to an air force base at Whenuapai, where council staff and welfare workers were assisting them.

The worst weather appeared to have passed by midafternoon, Walters said. "It's clearing up slightly but people need to be careful out there," he said.

Auckland Fire Service Area Commander Larry Cocker told The Associated Press that three people had died in the storm.

Walters said one person was killed when hit by a tree and that some others who were killed or injured were workers who were building a school.

Several New Zealand media outlets reported that two of those who died were in an accident involving a slab of concrete.

Richard Turner, a meteorologist with New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), said New Zealand isn't prone to the intense surface heating that helps create the huge and violent tornados seen in the central United States. But he said even relatively small tornados like the one on Thursday can cause damage and death.

Tornados in New Zealand are typically about 30 meters (100 feet) wide and last for only a few minutes.

Daniel Corbett, a meteorologist with government forecaster MetService, said there had been some very warm, humid air "like soup" sitting over Auckland for several days before thunderstorms hit, creating the conditions for Thursday's tornado. He said he expected the weather system would move away from the country Thursday night.

The tornado equaled the deadliest recorded in New Zealand's history. In 1948, three people were killed when a tornado hit a suburb in the city of Hamilton.

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