Queen’s University fellow and former Canadian ambassador Louis Delvoie is available to talk about the Syria’s ambassador to Iraq Nawaf Fares defecting and seeking asylum in Turkey.

Mr. Delvoie says this is another high profile desertion that damages and weakens Syrian president Assad’s regime.

“It’s a blow to the image of the Syrian government. It’s being done publically in a foreign country. Perhaps even more damaging was the recent desertion of Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass who was very much an insider in the Assad regime. The desertion of soldiers is one of the key things to watch in terms of how long the Assad regime can last. Every desertion weakens the regime. This is one very tough regime that is going to hang on for a while longer,” says Mr. Delvoie, a fellow in the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen's University.

Please note that on Thursday, July 12, Mr. Delvoie is only available for interviews after 3 pm.

To arrange an interview, please contact communication officers Michael Onesi at 613.533.6000 ext. 77513 michael.onesi@queensu.ca or Anne Craig at 613-533-2877 or Anne.Craig@queensu.ca at Queen’s University News and Media Services Department in Kingston, Ont., Canada.

Follow Queen’s News and Media Services on Twitter: http://twitter.com/QueensuMedia

Attention broadcasters: Queen’s has facilities to provide broadcast quality audio and video feeds. For television interviews, we can provide a live, real-time double ender from Kingston via fibre optic cable. Please call for details.