kind of big jihad, they will frighten many of the very fence-sitters still in places like da plass ki damascus and it will make ultimately finding a solution to this a durable solution, more difficult. we don't want to see syria go towards civil war. we want to see the violence stop immediately, and to see syria begin a political transition. >> the other -- thank you for those answers. the other issue, and it may have been touched on a bit is this whole issue of weapons of mass destruction and what's happening in syria if and when the assad regime falls. are we considering and making plans regarding how to account for those weapons? how to ensure they not fall into the hands of terrorist organizations such as al qaeda is this an issue discussed about mong the allies and people in the region that are concerned? >> senator, put your finger on an extremely important point. this is a topic discussed actively with syrian neighbors, with our allies? europe and elsewhere. sear d syria is not a signatory of the weapons convention. it's a reminder of the destabilizing role syria has played over the yea