Friends of Syria' Ready Assad Ultimatum - MATTHEW LEE and PAUL SCHEMM

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/friends-syria-ready-ultimatum-assad-15781804

The United States, Europe and Arab countries were set Friday to back a proposal for Syria's president to step aside and allow in humanitarian assistance to end a brutal crackdown against opponents.
American, European and Arab officials are meeting in a major international "Friends of Syria" conference in Tunisia to work out the details for their 72-hour ultimatum end the violence and allow in aid, which will be backed by as yet unspecified punishments.
A draft of the conference's final declaration also states that the Syrian National Council, an umbrella group of opposition organizations, will be recognized as "a legitimate representative of Syrians" and promised additional "practical" support for opposition groups.

Were it not for the steady drumbeat for war in Iran this might have already been a done deal. Assad's regime is reeling but not ready to topple and the opposition has no coherence, leading to a situation where neither can defeat the other. The countries that border Syria are desperate to head off the terrorism and refugees that might blow over into their own countries, not to mention the fear that it might inflame their own populations. All this leads us to think that ~something~ will happen to end the violence. Of course, if and after the violence is lifted, Iran looms.