Assad loses Arab support

Saudi-Arabia's King Abdullah has strongly criticised Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the harsh treatment of his people. King Abdullah's words are cause for hope however questionable his motives, writes the Christian-social daily Trouw: "His comments are no doubt more prompted by the need to bring peace to the region than by any desire for democratic reform. Nevertheless his voice hold great weight in the Arab World. Assad now knows he can't continue to count on the solidarity of his autocratic colleagues. ... The blood he has spilled has caused so much disgust that he is now totally isolated. Although he can't be expected to react immediately to the advice of his neighbours, the fact that Arab rulers have stopped automatically covering each others' backs does give ground for hope."

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