Stephen Lendman

He called insurgents terrorists. He did so justifiably. He said Western countries lie. He's defending Syrian sovereignty, he stressed. More on what he said below.

He deplores war. He wants peaceful conflict resolution. He's defending Syria against foreign invaders. They're extremist insurgents. He voluntarily agreed to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons. International inspectors arrived last week.

Syria's working cooperatively with them to destroy its CW stockpile. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov:

"Throughout all these weeks since the moment Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention Damascus (it) has faultlessly cooperated with international inspectors. We are satisfied with the way the process is unfolding. We don't have any reasons to believe that the impeccable cooperation that the Syrian government has thus far demonstrated will change in any way."

Lavrov added that Russia will do everything possible to help facilitate the elimination of CWs in Syria. Security Council Resolution 2118 obligates both sides to cooperate fully. At issue is whether insurgents will comply.

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Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)

President Bashar al-Assad said that all the political decisions that have been taken by the west in the last ten years have been in support of al-Qaeda, intentionally or inadvertently. In an interview with the German Der Spiegel news magazine, President al-Assad said that through Western support, now there are thousands of al-Qaeda fighters from 80 countries in Syria. The following is the full text of the interview:

Der Spiegel: Mr. President, do you love your country?

President Assad: Of course, and in this I am no different from most people. This is not merely about emotions, but rather about what one can do for his country if he has the power and especially in times of crisis; and at this particular time, I realize more than ever how much I love my country and so I must protect it.

Der Spiegel: Wouldn’t you be more patriotic if you stepped down and allowed for negotiations over an interim government or for a cease-fire with the armed opposition?

President Assad: The Syrian people determine my fate; no other party can determine this issue. As for the armed opposition or factions, who do they represent - the Syrian people? If so, this can be proven only through the ballot box.

Der Spiegel: Are you prepared to run in the next elections?

President Assad: My term ends in August next year. The presidential elections should take place before that time. I cannot decide now whether I am going to run; this depends on what the Syrian people want. If people are not behind me, I won’t stand in the elections.

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