Al-Assad: Whole Region Will Be Destroyed Without Russian Airstrikes
Local Editor
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that the air campaign by Russia against terrorists in his country must succeed or the whole region will be destroyed, stressing that the fight against terrorism must precede a political process.
In the interview with Iran's Khabar TV, al-Assad also accused Western nations of fueling the refugee crisis and said the US-led coalition to fight "ISIL" will only spark more instability in his country and the region.
These were al-Assad's first comments since Russia launched its air campaign against multiple terrorist groups in Syria Wednesday.
Al-Assad said the Russian campaign has the potential to succeed because it is supported by Iran and has international, if not Western, support. He called on countries that support the armed opposition to stop, which would increase the chances of the campaign to succeed.
"It must succeed or we are facing the destruction of a whole region, and not a country or two," he said. "The chances for success are large, not small."
Al-Assad has accused Western countries, neighboring Turkey and some Gulf states of fueling the war by supporting the armed opposition, all of which he calls terrorists. "The only solution for us is to strike at terrorism. Implementing any solution or political ideas agreed upon will need a state of stability. Otherwise it will have no value," he said.
"Terrorism knows no borders," he said, adding that most leaders of terrorist groups operating in Iraq and Syria "came from Europe."
Asked about Saudi Arabia's insistence for the Syrian president to step down, al-Assad replied, "The issue of political system and/or powers-to-be in this country are an internal affair."
He said Saudi Arabia is not well-placed to speak about democracy in other countries.
"This country is the worst example and the most outdated on the global scale. Therefore, it cannot speak about these issues in the region," al-Assad added.
He also slammed meddlesome remarks by top Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The Syrian president also said that be favored "Syrian-Syrian dialogue" as the only solution to the crisis in his country.
"The self-evident issue in the entire world is that no country talks with terrorists," he added.
Al-Assad noted that war in his country will continue as long as "certain" governments push ahead with their support for terrorists.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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