Assad's wife shops while protests rage, leaks reveal

[Violet_Crumble]

SYRIAN President Bashar al-Assad took advice from Iran on how to handle the uprising against his rule, according to a cache of what appear to be thousands of emails received and sent by Dr Assad and his wife.

The Syrian dictator was also briefed in detail about the presence of Western journalists in the Baba Amro district of Homs and urged to ''tighten the security grip'' on the opposition-held city in November.

The revelations are contained in more than 3000 documents that activists say are emails downloaded from private accounts belonging to Dr Assad and his wife, Asma. The emails also appear to show that:

■Dr Assad made light of reforms he had promised in an attempt to defuse the crisis, referring to ''rubbish laws of parties, elections, media''.

■A daughter of Qatari emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani this year advised Asma al-Assad and her husband to leave Syria and suggested that Doha may offer them exile.



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/assads-wife-shops-while-protests-rage-leaks-reveal-20120315-1v819.html#ixzz1pGwEGPAc