Syrian soldiers, who have defected to join the Free Syrian Army, hold up their rifles as they secure a street in Saqba, in Damascus suburbs, in this January 27, 2012 file photo. People have described Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Reuters as a head of state fully abreast of events on the ground - not the mere puppet of hardliners that some have portrayed - “relaxed and phlegmatic”, and determined to see off the challenge, offering some reforms, strictly on his own terms. While few rate his long-term prospects highly, all is not lost, at least for now. Assad’s troops swiftly drove back the more lightly armed rebels from the outskirts of Damascus and many foresee a long struggle yet for a country, at the heart of the Middle East, that is trapped in a “balance of weakness”. Picture taken January 27, 2012. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/Files