http://twitter.com/#!/CardBertone/status/178745126984761344
https://twitter.com/#!/CardBertone/status/178746033394827264
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is the Vatican’s number two official.
Not many newspeople are up tonight, but an Italian Twitter user has already tipped the Wall Street Journal:
@WSJ President Assad left Syria tonight,according to Vatican source.Is it true?
— Roberto Savarese (@rsavarese2006) March 11, 2012
A French independent journalist is also awake and asking questions:
Le Vatican, via le cardinal Bertone @CardBertone annonce que #Assad aurait quitté la #Syrie. Quelqu'un d'autre peut confirmer ?
— Liliane Langellier (@LaLangelliere) March 11, 2012
For what it’s worth, this piece says “Assad is firmly in charge of Syria,” according to “U.S. intelligence:”
One year after the unrest in Syria started President Bashar Assad is still firmly in control of his country, US intelligence services say, despite their leaders claiming his regime is doomed.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, three US senior intelligence officials have said Assad holds a strong position in Syria and his inner circle is also very determined to back the cause and remain “steadfast,” AP reports.
The U.N.’s Kofi Annan had been scheduled to hold a second meeting with Assad after being rebuffed earlier Saturday:
A U.N. official in Syria says envoy Kofi Annan will hold a second meeting with the country’s President Bashar Assad to discuss proposals for stopping violence and starting a political dialogue.
In his talks with Assad on Saturday, Annan made several proposals but was rebuffed by the president who rejected any immediate negotiations with the opposition.
The official said Annan is scheduled to meet again with Assad Sunday before heading to the Gulf state of Qatar. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Activists said fresh violence erupted again in Syria’s northern Idlib province.
UPDATE: The Bertone Twitter account is apparently fake:
Le Twitter account du Cardinal Bertone @CardBertone est un FAKE. Je l'ai signalé aux autorités compétentes et aux medias catholiques.
— Liliane Langellier (@LaLangelliere) March 11, 2012
Someone’s got a lot of time of his/her hands to be faking the Vatican Secretary of State’s Twitter identity…
Read more: http://twitchy.com/2012/03/11/president-assad-has-left-syria/