JORDAN (CBS) - In a refugee camp in Jordan near the Syrian border, you see the people here who have fled their country because of violence. You are looking at the face of the tragedy of war, they are refugees. CBS talked about Syria, President Assad and these people in a conversation with the king of Jordan King Abdullah.
Charlie Rose asked King Abdullah II, "You believe that the Syrian, that this is not going to be easy for Assad to go because he is part of the Alawite minority?" The king responds, "If I was putting myself in his shoes. Again, having seen the images of what happened to Qaddafi, I mean that must be something in the back of his mind. Where would I want to go if that was an option? Where could I go if that was an option? If he does go, by whatever means, I don't see that the system around him is capable of changing.
"The clock is ticking on a political transition and if we don't find ourselves a way out by the end of the year, then you are going to see a spike in sectarian violence and I think it's going to be a full out civil war and I think calamity for years to come. You know, bringing people together at International conferences is great, this is what we have to do, and we have to continue doing that, but there is this new reality on the ground that is overtaking events, if not already, and let's not underestimate the capacity of the regime to hold out a lot longer than expectations."
Tuesday morning CBS will have more of Rose's conversation with King Abdullah of Jordan including what might happen with Syria and what might happen with President Assad.