Confident Al-Assad Casts Doubts over Geneva 2: Ready for 2014 Elections

Local Editor

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stressed in remarks broadcast Monday no date had been set for an international conference on ending his country's war and cast doubt on whether it could succeed if held now.

Remaining confident and animated throughout the two-hour interview, al-Assad told his interviewer: "There is no date so far ... and current factors do not help in holding it."

He said opposition groups that had been invited to the talks represented foreign powers rather than Syrians.
"Which forces are taking part? What relation do these forces have with the Syrian people? Do these forces represent the Syrian people, or do they represent the states that invented them?" the embattled leader asked.
The Syrian President further refused to recognize the so-called National Coalition opposition umbrella group.
"How can these forces represent the Syrian people if they live abroad. They don't dare to come to Syria... But claim to control 70 percent of Syrian territory," through fighting on the ground, he said.

In parallel, al-Assad wondered: "There are many questions about the conference... What is the framework of the conference."
He has also repeatedly accused the Coalition of working under the orders of regional and Western backers.
"The solution (to Syria's war) must be a Syrian solution, regardless of whether foreign powers recognize it. It doesn't matter. What matters is that the Syrian people recognize it," the head of the Syrian state added.
"The issue is a Syrian issue... Whether the conference is held or not is not what matters most. The most important issue is, should the conference be held, will it succeed or not? That is the question. And up until now, the factors are not yet in place for it to succeed."

Asked whether he would run for re-election, al-Assad said: "My answer depends on two factors. The first is the personal desire, and the second is the will of the people."
"Regarding the first point, the one related to me personally, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't run in the next election."

The Syrian leader said he would welcome international envoy al-Akhdar Ibrahimi back to Damascus as long as "he sticks to his mandate and does not overstep it."
"He is tasked with a mediation mission. A mediator should be neutral," said al-Assad.

In the interview al-Assad also described Syria's branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a key bloc of the opposition, as a "terror group."
"The years since I came to this position up until the start of the Syrian crisis have proven at several junctures that it is an opportunist group that relies on hypocrisy, not religion," he said.
And he charged that Saudi Arabia, a main backer of the Syrian opposition, was carrying out US policy against his government.
"Does anyone dare to objectively describe (Saudi policy on Syria) as the policy of an independent state? Saudi Arabia is a state that fully implements the policies of the United States," said al-Assad."Saudi Arabia will change its attitude towards Syria if US does," Syrian President added, "Bandar bin Sultan is part of the whole Saudi system that is subjected to the American will.
In this context, the Syrian president said that the political relations between the Arab countries are subjected to the American will.

Regarding Qatar President al-Assad said that it must stop its intervention in Syria affairs, including arming and funding the militant groups, if it decides to reform the Qatari-Syrian relations.
He further emphasized that the Turkish government supported the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria to enable them to rule the country.

Meanwhile, al-Assad praised the Iraqi stance towards Syria and said that Baghdad considers that the dangers posed by the Syrian crisis threaten its stability.
Commenting on the Lebanese dissociation policy regarding Syria crisis, al-Assad said that Lebanon allowed the military smuggling operations on its borders with Syria.
The Syrian leader also said that his country refrains from intervening in the Lebanese internal affairs.
President al-Assad added that he is waiting for a phone call from his Lebanese counterpart to present the proofs that condemn Syria in Samaha cause.
The Syrian President also accentuated that his country will always support the honest resistance parties, including Hizbullah that interfered in Syria crisis to protect the common national project.

In this context, al- Assad pointed out that if Hamas returns to its initial state of resisting the Zionist enemy, we will support it.
"Hamas, however, betrayed Syria and the Syrians who preferred the Palestinian interests to the local ones."
On the ground developments, al-Assad considered that Syria is achieving a vast progress in its battle against terrorism.
The Syrian President pointed out that in the late 1970's and early 1980's, Syria called on confronting terrorism, yet "none in the world took care."
"Syria has always been against terrorism and held international alliances to fight it."
Syria is now fighting al-Qaeda on its territories which large quantities of weapons were smuggle into after Iraq invasion.
"When the demonstrations failed to reach its aim, they intensified the smuggling operations to overthrow the state in Syria," al-Assad added, and pointed out that "when the opposition adopts the military track it becomes a terrorist group."
"The Western and the Arab countries supported these terrorist groups to carry out their plots in Syria."

According to the Syrian leader, the Americans are selfish because they think of their interests regardless of their partners'.
Al-Assad recounted the incidents that illustrate the American-French pressure against Syria to change its policies that personify the real Arabism and resistance and attain the supreme national interests.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team