Bashar Assad is in a box from which he cannot escape, western
diplomats say, after UN investigators implicated senior regime
figures in February's murder of the Lebanese politician, Rafik
Hariri. But while Syria's president is no Houdini, rumours of
his imminent political demise appear exaggerated.  One reason is
international divisions about what to do. The US and Britain
want swift UN action, leading to possible sanctions. But
France's foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, said yesterday
that any decision-making should be left until the UN inquiry was
complete.  Damascus has credible grounds for hoping that Russia
and China will oppose western-initiated punitive action through
the UN, as has been the case with other "states of concern" such
as Sudan, Burma and Zimbabwe.  And Washington may yet be
distracted by a bigger target. Stephen Hadley, the US national
security adviser, was in Moscow yesterday seeking Russian
support for UN action against Iran. The Syrian dossier barely
got a mention.  "I expect th