'It makes no sense for us to say that we will give up any part' of Syria: Assad
AFP have published more extracts from its exclusive interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Assad spoke to AFP in Damascus yesterday, hours before world powers announced plans to push for a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria to start in a week's time.
Here are some key points:
-- Assad said that he supported peace talks but this did not mean "that we stop fighting terrorism."
-- The major Russian-backed government offensive in Aleppo was aimed at severing the opposition's supply routes from Turkey.
-- Assad fears that Turkey and Saudi Arabia -- both of whom back the opposition -- will intervene militarily in Syria.
-- Europe should stop "giving cover to terrorists" so that Syrians can return home.
-- UN allegations of war crimes were "politicized" and lacking evidence.
-- Assad's eventual goal is to retake all of Syria. "Regardless of whether we can do that or not, this is a goal we are seeking to achieve without any hesitation," he said.
-- If opposition supply routes from Turkey, Jordan and Iraq are cut, then it would be possible to "put an end to this problem in less than a year." If not, "the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price."
Assad vows to regain control over all of Syria, says this could "take a long time"
AFP has published more details from its interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in which he vowed to regain control over all of Syria but warned that this "could take a long time."
Speaking Thursday in Damascus, Assad said his armed forces would try to retake all of Syria "without any hesitation," but that the involvement of regional players "means that the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price."
Syrian opposition leader slams ceasefire deal
Riyad Hijab, the leader of the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition High Negotiations Council (HNC) has slammed the ceasefire deal made by world powers in Munich, saying there can be no deal before the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
Meanwhile, Assad has just told AFP that he wants to retake the whole of Syria and that this could take some time.
Syria's Assad rejects UN war crimes claims
Syria's Assad 'wants talks while fighting terrorism'
More teasers from AFP's interview with Assad
Assad vows to retake whole of Syria
This just in from AFP who are publishing an exclusive interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad today.
This comment comes after world powers agreed a temporary "cessation of hostilities" in Syria.
Syrian rebels greet truce deal with guarded optimism
Syria's moderate, Western-backed opposition have reacted with guarded optimism to the news that world powers have reached a deal to push for a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria, The Guardian reports.
But the rebels questioned the real impact of the proposed truce, since it excludes Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate the Al-Nusra Front, which operates in large swathes of Syria.
The rebels were also skeptical that Russia would keep its part of the deal.