Assad: Western Nations Attack Syria Openly, Deal With It Secretly
Local Editor
Western politicians had been forced into the awkward position of being obliged to negotiate with Damascus over security under the table in fear of raising Washington' ire, Syria's president told Australia's SBS News in an exclusive interview.
President Bashar al-Assad says Western countries follow a policy of double standards toward Syria, dealing secretly with his government while aiding militants to topple him at the same time.
"They attack us politically and then they send officials to deal with us under the table, especially the security, including your [the Australian] government," Assad told SBS News.
Western countries follow what the US is telling them to do, the president said in remarks that were carried by Syrian state media.
"They don't want to upset the United States. Actually most of the western officials they only repeat what the United States want them to say. This is the reality," President Assad said.
The Syrian president also condemned foreigners coming to fight in Syria, regardless of which cause they support.
"If there are foreigners coming without the permission of the government they are illegal, whether they want to fight terrorists or want to fight any other one," he said. "It's the same. It's illegal we can call it."
The government is fighting militants coming from scores of countries, including Europe, the US and Australia, and has vowed to battle on until Damascus regains control of all of Syria.
The West and its regional allies, most notably Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, have been funneling monetary and battleground means to the militants who have been fighting the Syrian government since 2011.
Western powers had supported militants fighting to overthrow Assad in a war now in its sixth year, which has claimed more than 400,000 Syrian lives, according to the UN special envoy to Syria.
Furthermore, Western calls for Assad's ouster had become ever more muted as they become preoccupied with the rise of Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] and other Takfiri groups striking at the heart of Europe.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
