Assad accuses UK of bullying, refuses to step down
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, World 05:02
In a rare interview with a UK newspaper, Assad accused the British government of "bullying" and of playing a "famously unconstructive role" in the region.
"We are ready to negotiate with anyone, including militants who surrender their arms. We can engage in dialogue with the opposition, but we cannot engage in dialogue with terrorists," 47-year-old Assad told the newspaper in a video-taped interview conducted at his Damascus residence, the Al-Muhajireen palace, last week.
The Syrian government had said it is ready for talks with its armed opponents earlier this week.
However, Syrian rebel leader Selim Idris said there could be no negotiations unless Assad stepped down and leaders of the army and security forces were put on trial. Asked if he would consider stepping down to improve prospects of peace, Assad said, "If this argument is correct, then my departure will stop the fighting. Clearly this is absurd, and recent precedents in Libya, Yemen and Egypt bear witness to this."
The UN says that the raging civil war in Syria, which has been going on for nearly two years, has left nearly 70,000 dead and the West has been calling for Assad's resignation to kick-start a peace process.
British foreign secretary William Hague promised to increase support for the Syrian opposition, including equipment supplies and humanitarian assistance, as US secretary of state John Kerry announced 39 million pounds in funding for rebel forces last week.
The British government is currently bound by an EU arms embargo which European foreign ministers decided not to lift at a meeting in Brussels last month.
In a scathing attack, Assad claimed the West was sacrificing peace talks to push for an end to EU arms embargo, which would allow rebels to be armed.
Posted by Unknown
on 05:02.
Filed under
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
World
.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0
