Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Lord of the Baath...
even if he remains in power under a negotiated end to Syria's war, UN human rights
One man's rights are another man's existential threat.
investigator Carla del Ponte said on Monday.
"Assad is the president, so let's deal with the institution of president. If we can achieve a cease-fire with the president, why not? But afterwards, justice will come," del Ponte said.
"You remember in former Yugoslavia, Milosevic was president, and it was a peace negotiation at Dayton and they achieved an agreement? And Milosevic was still president, but justice could be done. Just an example from the past."
Del Ponte was chief prosecutor for the international court which put former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic on trial in 2002, seven years after he signed a peace treaty to end the war in the former Yugoslavia. Milosevic died in his cell in 2006, before his trial was concluded.
This month European countries and the United States have moved away from demanding Assad's immediate ouster, saying instead that the timing of his exit could be part of a negotiated peace deal.
Asked if she thought justice would catch up with Assad, Del Ponte said: "Yes. It must be done."
Del Ponte is a member of the UN independent commission of inquiry that has been investigating human rights abuses in Syria for four years.