President al-Assad addressing the nation: Syria is strong and great with its people..

Conspirators prepared a mix of sedition, reform demand and daily needs to destabilize Syria

Whoever belongs to the Syrian people will always keep his head high

Damascus, Champress- President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday addressed the Syrian people through the people's Assembly and stressed that Syria is strong and great with its people and that whoever belongs to the Syrian people will always keep his head high.

In his first speech after the unfortunate incidents which took place in the cities of Daraa and Lattakia, President al-Assad said that those events were a "test to our unity".

Our enemies work daily to hit Syria's stability

President al-Assad pointed out that what happened in the Arab arena consolidates the Syrian view point and expresses a popular unanimity and when there is a popular unanimity "we have to be satisfied whether we agree or don't agree on many points.

Our enemy was stupid in targeting the wrong country where such conspiracies don't work

President a-assad said: "I know that the Syrian people have been awaiting this speech since last week, but I was waiting to get the full picture... to avoid giving an emotional address that would put the people at ease but have no real effect, at a time when our enemies are targeting Syria."
He  added that "We admit that our enemy was clever in using very developed tools to make their conspiracy a success, but was stupid in targeting the wrong country where such conspiracies don't work."

The President expressed belief that Syria will emerge as victorious out of the test of unity it is facing.

He said Syria's enemies had taken advantage of the needs of the people to incite strife. "This conspiracy is different in shape and timing from what is going on in the Arab world," he said, while noting that Syria is not isolated from the region, but at the same time is not a copy of other countries.

President al-Assad also noted that the enemies of Syria are working to continuously hit Syria’s stability. While expressing hope that the latest developments would support the Palestinian cause.

He recalled that Syria' foreign policy has been based on a decision to hold onto rights and defend the Arab resistance. "Therefore, the objective behind the latest plot against Syria aimed at ending its leadership of the resistance against Israel," he highlighted.

Addressing the weekend developments in Syria, President al-Assad stressed that the strife began weeks ago through the instigation of satellite TV stations. He praised the people of Daraa who constitute the main arm in protecting Syria.

The President turned to announce the state’s readiness to launch the process of reform.
"We are all for reform. That is the duty of the state. But we are not for strife," he said. "Reform is not a trend," he added. "When the people demand their rights, it is the state's duty to fulfill their demands. What we should watch out for is starting reforms under these circumstances right now, this passing wave."

President al-Assad stressed that the measures announced Thursday were not taken under pressure. "The measures announced Thursday were not made suddenly," he said. "The emergency law and political parties’ law have been under study for a year. There are more, unannounced reforms ... but giving a timeframe is a logistic matter. When we announce it in such circumstances, it is difficult to make that deadline," the president said.

"We were late in implementing reform but we will start now," President al-Assad said, addressing those asking for reform. He said that ties between the state and the people are not based on pressure but on the rights and needs of citizens. He also announced plans to combat corruption and increase job opportunities.