Syrian government forces reasserted control of Damascus suburbs on<br />Tuesday after beating back rebels at the capital's doorstep. Western<br />and Arab diplomats piled more pressure on Syrian President Bashar<br />Assad, pushing for a UN Security Council resolution which would call<br />for him to step down to defuse to 10-month-old uprising against his<br />family's dynastic rule. A draft United Nations resolution on Syria<br />calls for President Assad to hand power to his deputy and insists<br />there will be no use of foreign forces in the country. Russia warned<br />that an international effort to resolve the conflict could instead<br />lead to civil war.
