Syria says Assad's deputy did not try to defect
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Syria's Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa has never considered leaving the country, state media said on Saturday, after reports that Sharaa had tried to defect to neighboring Jordan.
State media said the vice president had been working since the start of the uprising to reach a political solution to end the bloodshed. Sharaa welcomed the appointment of veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi as a new international mediator for Syria, it added. (Reuters)
