Jordan's King Abdullah warns Assad 'could seek Alawite refuge'

Dubai -  Jordan's King Abdullah II has warned that Syrian President Bashar Al Assad could make a "worst case scenario" retreat to an Alawite stronghold if he falls from power.

During an interview with CBS News, Abdullah said that such an outcome of the Syrian crisis could splinter the country and cause ethnic strife for decades to come.

He feared a scenario that could eventually see Assad retreat to the shelter of his ethnic Alawite sect, which is a minority in Syria despite its monopoly on power, The Gulf News reports.

"I have a feeling that if he can't rule Greater Syria, then maybe an Alawite enclave is Plan B," the report quoted Abdullah, as saying.

"That would be, I think for us, the worst case scenario, because that means then the break up of Greater Syria," he said.

"That means that everybody starts land grabbing which makes no sense to me. If Syria then implodes on itself that would create problems that would take us decades for us to come back from," he added.

According to the report, Abdullah also said he expected Al Assad would try maintain his bloody bid to cling onto power "indefinitely".

He predicted Syria could slip into an "abyss" if a political solution to the crisis was not found soon.