Syria VP May Be Out

Conflicting claims that he bolted the sinking ship

Conflicting reports emerged Saturday about whether Syria's vice president has defected.

A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army said Saturday that Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa has fled the regime.

Syrian state-run TV did not explicitly say whether al-Sharaa had defected, but it reported that the vice president's office issued a statement saying al-Sharaa "has never at any moment thought of leaving the homeland to whatever direction."