In secret, Spain negotiates transition in Syria.

247 – Before leaving the General Secretariat of the Spanish Executive, Bernardino León was secretly sent by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to Syria to propose a peaceful solution to its authorities. This information comes from the newspaper El País. León traveled alone and used his ordinary passport – not his diplomatic one. In Damascus, he met with Syrian regime leaders in private residences.

Born in Málaga, Prime Minister Zapatero's most trusted advisor was appointed at the end of July as the EU's special envoy to the southern Mediterranean. The post aims to exert a positive influence on the Arab revolutions. The one that began in Syria in March has cost the lives of at least 1.800 civilians. Yesterday, the Assad regime bombarded a neighborhood in Latakia, the main coastal city, with warships.

Since the beginning of the democratic transition, Spain has had a privileged relationship with Syria. Until June, Zapatero was in telephone contact with Assad. According to the publication, this encouraged him to take the initiative in July to send León with a proposal to stop the repression, organize a timetable for a transition, and form a government with representatives of the opposition. The government would be willing to grant asylum to the Assads in Spain – Rifaat el Assad, the current president's uncle and former vice-president of Syria, already lives in the country.