Assad Says Syria 'Capable of Overcoming' Crisis
Syrian state news agency SANA on Thursday quoted President Bashar al-Assad as rejecting any foreign intervention.
"The Syrian people are attached to their unity and Arab identity despite all the difficulties, and understand the breadth of the plots against their security and cohesion," he was quoted as telling a group of people opposed to outside intervention.
Assad stressed that the Syrian people "are capable of overcoming the current situations and building a strong, immune Syria. "
The embattled president noted that "the support of the Arab peoples and the nationalist forces that are attached to their Arab identity strengthens Syria’s immunity and its faith in the future. "
In a televised speech lasting nearly two hours on January 10, Assad vowed to crush "terrorism" with an iron fist and accused outsiders of trying to destabilize his country.
That prompted opposition movements to accuse him of pushing Syria towards civil war and world powers to accuse him of trying to shift the blame for the 10 months of bloodletting in the protests against his regime.
The United Nations says that 5,400 people have been killed by forces loyal to the Assad regime since protests erupted in March.
Damascus routinely blames the violence in Syria on "armed groups" and "terrorists" backed by foreign powers pursuing an agenda of regime change.
Source: Agence France Presse
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