Syria's oil minister defects

Syrian Deputy Oil Minister Abdo Hussameldin has announced his<br />defection on YouTube, becoming the first high-ranking civilian<br />official to abandon President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising<br />against his rule erupted a year ago. Hussameldin said in the video,<br />that he had been in government for 33 years but did not want to end<br />his career "serving the crimes of this regime".