Assad: Resignation Is Escape, I’m not the Person who Runs Away

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Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad denied claims that the Syrian Army possessed chemical weapons and was using them against armed groups, and excluded any near resignation. In an interview with Argentina's Clarin newspaper and Telam news agency, which will be published on Saturday, Assad considered that western claims that regime forces used chemical weapons, aimed at preparing the public opinion for a military intervention in Syria. “Accusations that Syria was using chemical weapons and statements about my resignation are changing on daily bases, and this could possibly be a preface for a war on our country,” he said. In this context, the Syrian president wondered: “They said that we used chemical weapons against residential areas, but if these weapons were used against a city or a village and the outcome was between ten and twenty casualties, then could this be believed?” “Using chemical weapons means killing tens of thousands in minutes. Who could hide something like that?” On another hand, President Assad pointed out that he will not resign. Responding to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s demanded that he resigns, Assad said: “resignation is an escape”. “When the ship faces a storm, the captain does not escape. When the president abandons his duties, he is running from responsibility, and I’m not the person who runs away,” Assad said, adding: “I’m not sure if Kerry or anyone else was given the authority by the Syrian people to speak in their name, but only the Syrian people will decide who to stay and who to leave in the presidential elections of 2014.” Moreover, the Syrian president clarified that “Israel supports terrorists, addresses them, and draws their movements based on its interests.” He referred to “the absence of unity between various rebellious groups”, indicating that this point restrains opposition leaders from committing to any measures regarding ceasefire. In parallel, Assad rejected dialogue with “terrorists” and accused them of using toxic chemical gas. “You could negotiate with political forces, but you cannot negotiate with terrorists killing, slaughtering, and firing toxic gas,” he said. He considered that western states are seeking to topple the Syrian regime regardless of the number of casualties, and assured that his government supported the international conference that will be held in Geneva by the end of May. “We have to be clear. There is an ambiguity in the world. There is a difference between a political solution and a terrorist solution, and they believe that a political conference could end terrorism. This is unrealistic.” Assad further stated that the Syrian developments were the result of an international call for terrorism, which western powers supported, as well as Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Regarding the political initiative, the Syrian president said: “We have a political initiative and it includes dialogue, but none of the terrorists want to negotiate, because this terror is supported by the US and Europe.”

Source: Agencies 19-05-2013 - 15:18 Last updated 19-05-2013 - 15:18

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