Meet
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad…
The
Interview You Won’t
Find in the Mainstream Media....
Find in the Mainstream Media....
FOR ALL…A very recent interview with Pres. Assad of Syria…What
he says certainly flies in the face of what the mainstream Media, almost all
Jewish owned and controlled, is reporting and shows that the false claims of
this current White House occupant are spurious…He is the puppet of the Council
on Foreign Relations, Rockefeller, Brezinski, Kissinger and the rest of the
Neocons demanding that the US Military be sent against Syria…Finally, Americans
are waking up to who it is that is behind these Arab wars that the U.S.
Military has been performing…and losing…JRN
<http://dcclothesline.com/2013/08/29/meet-syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-the
-interview-you-wont-find-in-the-mainstream-media/>
http://dcclothesline.com/2013/08/29/meet-syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-the-
interview-you-wont-find-in-the-mainstream-media/
Posted on
<http://dcclothesline.com/2013/08/29/meet-syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-the
-interview-you-wont-find-in-the-mainstream-media/> August 29, 2013 by Tim
Brown <http://dcclothesline.com/author/tim-brown/>
<http://dcclothesline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/bashar_alassad_portraits_
in_a_window_damascus_syria.jpg> Bashar al-Assad portraits in a window,
Damascus, Syria
photo: james_gordon_losangeles <http://flickr.com/79139277@N08/7436274754>
“the majority of those we are fighting are Takfiris, who adopt the al-
Qaeda
doctrine, in addition to a small number of outlaws.”
On the alleged use of <http://dcclothesline.com/tag/chemical-weapons/>
chemical weapons, “there isn’t a body in the world, let alone a
superpower,
that makes an accusation and then goes about collecting evidence to prove its
point.”
Q1 Interviewer: Mr President, the most pressing question today is the current
situation in Syria. What parts of the country remain under the rebels’
control?
President Bashar al-Assad: From our perspective, it’s not a matter of
labelling areas as controlled by terrorists or by the government
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/government/> ; we are not dealing with a
conventional occupation to allow us to contextualize it in this manner. We are
fighting terrorists infiltrating particular regions, towns or peripheral city
areas. They wreak havoc, vandalize, destroy infrastructure and kill innocent
civilians simply because they denounce them. The army mobilizes into these
areas with the security forces and law enforcement agencies to eradicate the
terrorists, those who survive relocate to other areas. Therefore, the essence
of our action is striking terrorism.
Our challenge, which has protracted the situation, is the influx of large
amounts of terrorists from other countries - estimated in the tens of
thousands at the very least. As long as they continue to receive financial and
military aid, we will continue to strike them. I can confirm that there has
not been any instance where the Syrian Army has planned to enter a particular
location and has not succeeded in eliminating the terrorists within it.
The majority of those we are fighting are Takfiris, who adopt the al-Qaeda
doctrine, in addition to a small number of outlaws, so as I said this not
about who controls more areas of land. Wherever terrorism strikes, we shall
strike back.
Q2 Interviewer: Yet, Western mainstream media
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/mainstream-media/> claim that the terrorists
control 40% to 70% of Syrian territory; what is the reality?
President Bashar al-Assad: There isn’t an army in the world that can be
present with its armament in every corner of any given country. The terrorists
exploit this, and violate areas where the army is not present. They escape
from one area to another, and we continue to eradicate them from these areas
with great success. Therefore, I reiterate, the issue is not the size of the
territories they infiltrate but the large influx of terrorists coming from
abroad.
The more significant criterion to evaluate success is - has the Syrian Army
been able to enter any area infiltrated by terrorists and defeat them? Most
certainly the answer is yes; the army has always succeeded in this and
continues to do so. However, this takes time because these types of wars do
not end suddenly, they protract for prolonged periods and as such carry a
heavy price. Even when we have eradicated all the terrorists, we will have
paid a hefty price.
Q3 Interviewer: Mr President, you have spoken of Islamist Takfiri
extremists’
fighters who have entered Syria. Are they fragmented groups who fight
sporadically? Or do they belong to a coherent major force that seeks to
destroy the security and stability in Syria and the whole Middle East?
President Bashar al-Assad: They have both traits. They are similar in that
they all share the same extremist Takfiri doctrine of certain individuals such
as Zawahiri; they also have similar or identical financial backing and
military support. They differ on the ground in that they are incoherent and
scattered with each group adhering to a separate leader and pursuing different
agendas. Of course it is well known that countries, such as Saudi Arabia, who
hold the purse strings can shape and manipulate them to suit their own
interests.
Ideologically, these countries mobilize them through direct or indirect means
as extremist tools. If they declare that Muslims
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/muslims/> must pursue Jihad
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/jihad/> in Syria, thousands of fighters will
respond. Financially, those who finance and arm such groups can instruct them
to carry out acts of terrorism and spread anarchy. The influence over them is
synergized when a country such as Saudi Arabia directs them through both the
Wahhabi ideology and their financial means.
Q4 Interviewer: The Syrian government claims a strong link between Israel
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/israel/> and the terrorists. How can you
explain this? It is commonly perceived that the extremist Islamists
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/islamists/> loathe Israel and become hysterical
upon hearing its name.
President Bashar al-Assad: If this was the case, why is it then that when we
strike the terrorists at the frontier, Israel strikes at our forces to
alleviate the pressure off of them? Why, when we blockade them into an area
does Israel let them through their barricades so they can come round and
re-attack from another direction? Why has Israel carried out direct strikes
against the Syrian Army on more than one occasion in recent months? So clearly
this perception is inaccurate. It is Israel who has publically declared its
cooperation with these terrorists and treated them in Israeli hospitals. If
these terrorist groups were indeed hostile to Israel and hysterical even on
the mention of the word as you mention, why have they fought the Soviet Union,
Syria and Egypt <http://dcclothesline.com/tag/egypt/> , whilst never carrying
out a single strike against Israel? Who originally created these terrorist
groups? These groups were initially created in the early 80′s by the
United
States <http://dcclothesline.com/tag/united-states/> and the West, with Saudi
funding, to fight the Soviet Union in Afghanistan
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/afghanistan/> . So logically speaking, how could
such groups manufactured by the US and the West ever strike Israel!
Q5 Interviewer: Mr. President, this interview will be translated into several
international languages, and shall be read by world leaders, some who may
currently be working against you. What would you like to say to them?
President Bashar al-Assad: Today there are many Western politicians, but very
few statesmen. Some of these politicians do not read history or even learn
from it, whilst others do not even remember recent events. Have these
politicians learned any lessons from the past 50 years at least? Have they not
realized that since the Vietnam War, all the wars their predecessors have
waged have failed? Have they not learned that they have gained nothing from
these wars but the destruction of the countries they fought, which has had a
destabilizing effect on the Middle East and other parts of the world? Have
they not comprehended that all of these wars have not made people in the
region appreciate them or believe in their policies?
>From another perspective, these politicians should know that terrorism is not
a winning card you play when it suits you and keep it in your pocket when it
doesn’t. Terrorism is like a scorpion; it can unexpectedly sting you
at any
time. Therefore, you cannot support terrorism in Syria whilst fighting it in
Mali; you cannot support terrorism in Chechnya and fight it in Afghanistan.
To be very precise, I am referring to the West and not all world leaders, if
these western leaders are looking to achieve their interests, they need to
listen to their own constituents and to the people in this region rather than
seeking to install ‘puppet’ leaders, in the hope that they
would be able to
deliver their objectives. In doing so, western policy may become more
realistic in the region.
Our message to the world is straightforward: Syria will never become a Western
‘puppet’ state. We are an independent country; we will fight
terrorism and
we will freely build relationships with countries in a way that best serves
the interests of the Syrian people.
Q6 Interviewer: On Wednesday, the rebels accused the Syrian government of
using chemical weapons; some Western leaders adopted these accusations. What
is your response to this? Will you allow the UN inspectors access to the site
to investigate the incident?
President Basha al-Assad: The statements by the American administration, the
West and other countries were made with disdain and blatant disrespect of
their own public opinion; there isn’t a body in the world, let alone a
superpower, that makes an accusation and then goes about collecting evidence
to prove its point. The American administration made the accusation on
Wednesday and two days later announced that they would start to collect the
evidence - what evidence is it going to gather from afar?!
They claim that the area in question is under the control of the rebels and
that the Syrian Army used chemical weapons. In fact, the area is in contiguity
with the Syrian Army positions, so how is it possible that any country would
use chemical weapons, or any weapons of mass destruction, in an area where its
own forces are located; this is preposterous! These accusations are completely
politicized and come on the back of the advances made by the Syrian Army
against the terrorists.
As for the UN Commission, we were the first to request a UN investigation when
terrorists launched rockets that carried toxic gas in the outskirts of Aleppo.
Several months before the attack, American and Western statements were already
preparing public opinion of the potential use of chemical weapons by the
Syrian government. This raised our suspicion that they were aware of the
terrorists’ intentions to use these weapons in order to blame the
Syrian
government. After liaising with Russia <http://dcclothesline.com/tag/russia/>
,
We decided to request a commission to investigate the incident. Whereas we
requested an investigation based on the facts on the ground, not on rumors or
allegations; the US, France and the UK have tried to exploit the incident to
investigate allegations rather than happenings.
During the last few weeks, we have worked with the Commission and set the
guidelines for cooperation. First of these, is that our national sovereignty
is a red line and as such the Commission will directly liaise with us during
the process. Second, the issue is not only how the investigation will be
conducted but also how the results will be interpreted. We are all aware that
instead of being interpreted in an objective manner, these results could
easily be interpreted according to the requirements and agendas of certain
major countries. Certainly, we expect Russia to block any interpretation that
aims to serve American and western policies. What is most important is that we
differentiate between western accusations that are based on allegations and
hearsay and our request for an investigation based on concrete evidence and
facts.
Q7 Interviewer: Recent statements by the American administration and other
Western governments have stated that the US has not ruled out military
intervention in Syria. In light of this, is it looking more likely that the US
would behave in the same way it did in Iraq
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/iraq/> , in other words look for a pretext for
military intervention?
President Bashar al-Assad: This is not the first time that the possibility of
military intervention has been raised. From the outset, the US, along with
France and Britain, has strived for military intervention in Syria.
Unfortunately for them, events took a different course with the balance
shifting against their interests in the Security Council despite their
numerous attempts to haggle with Russia and China
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/china/> , but to no avail. The negative outcomes
that emerged in Libya <http://dcclothesline.com/tag/libya/> and Egypt were
also not in their favor.
All of this made it impossible for them to convince their constituents and the
world that they were following sound or successful policies.
The situation in Libya also differs to that of Egypt and Tunisia, and Syria as
I have said is very different from all these. Each country has a unique
situation and applying the same scenario across the board is no longer a
plausible option. No doubt they can wage wars, but they cannot predict where
they will spread or how they will end. This has led them to realize that all
their crafted scenarios have now spiraled out of their control.
It is now crystal clear to everybody that what is happening in Syria is not a
popular revolution pushing for political reform, but targeted terrorism aimed
at destroying the Syrian state. What will they say to their people when
pushing for military intervention: we are intervening in Syria to support
terrorism against the state?!
Interviewer: What will America <http://dcclothesline.com/2013/04/13/america/>
face should it decide on military intervention or on waging a war on Syria?
President Bashar al-Assad: What it has been confronted with in every war since
Vietnam… failure. America has waged many wars, but has never been able
to
achieve its political objectives from any of them. It will also not be able to
convince the American people of the benefits of this war, nor will it be able
to convince the people in this region of their policies and plans. Global
powers can wage wars, but can they win them?
Q8: Interviewer: Mr. President, how is your relationship with President
Vladimir Putin? Do you speak on the phone? If so, what do you discuss?
President Bashar al-Assad: I have a strong relationship with President Putin,
which spans back many years even before the crisis. We contact each other from
time to time, although the complexity of events in Syria cannot be discussed
on the phone. Our relationship is facilitated through Russian and Syrian
officials who exchange visits, the majority of which are conducted away from
the glare of the media.
Q9 Interviewer: Mr. President, are you planning to visit Russia or invite
President Putin to visit Syria?
President Bashar al-Assad: It is possible of course; however the current
priorities are to work towards easing the violence in Syria, there are
casualties on a daily basis. When circumstances improve, a visit will be
necessary; for now, our officials are managing this relationship well.
Q10: Interviewer: Mr. President, Russia is opposing the US and EU policies,
especially with regards to Syria, what would happen were Russia to make a
compromise now? Is such a scenario possible?
President Bashar al-Assad: Russian-American relations should not be viewed
through the context of the Syrian crisis alone; it should be viewed in a
broader and more comprehensive manner. The US presumed that with the collapse
of the Soviet Union, Russia was perpetually destroyed. After President Putin
took office in the late 90s, Russia began to gradually recover and regain its
international position; hence the Cold War began again, but in a different and
subtler manner.
The US persisted on many fronts: striving to contain Russian interests in the
world, attempting to influence the mentality of Russians closer to the West
both in terms of culture and aspiration. It worked diligently to eliminate
Russia’s vital and powerful role on many fronts, one of which is
Syria. You
may be wondering, like many Russians, why Russia continues to stand by Syria.
It is important to explain this reason to the general public: Russia is not
defending President Bashar al-Assad or the Syrian government, since the Syrian
people should decide their president and the most suitable political system -
this is not the issue. Russia is defending the fundamental principles it has
embraced for more than a hundred years, the first of which is independence and
the policy of non-interference in internal affairs. Russia itself has suffered
and continues to suffer from such interference.
Additionally, Russia is defending its legitimate interests in the region. Some
superficial analysts narrow these interests to the Port of Tartous, but in
reality Russia’s interests are far more significant. Politically
speaking,
when terrorism strikes Syria, a key country in the region, it would have a
direct impact on stability in the Middle East, which would subsequently affect
Russia. Unlike many western governments, the Russian leadership fully
understands this reality. From a social and cultural perspective, we must not
forget the tens of thousands of Syrian-Russian families, which create a
social, cultural and humanitarian bridge between our two countries.
If Russia were to seek a compromise, as you stipulated, this would have
happened one or two years ago when the picture was blurred, even for some
Russian officials. Today, the picture is crystal clear. A Russia that didn�
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have
affected their implementation. Russia continues to supply Syria with what it
requires to defend itself and its people.
Q12 Interviewer: Mr. President, what form of aid does Syria require from
Russia today? Is it financial or perhaps military equipment? For example would
Syria request a loan from Russia?
President Bashar al-Assad: In the absence of security on the ground, it is
impossible to have a functioning and stable economy. So firstly, the support
that Russia is providing through agreed military contracts to help Syrians
defend themselves will lead to better security, which will in turn help
facilitate an economic recovery. Secondly, Russia’s political support
for our
right of independence and sovereignty has also played a significant role. Many
other countries have turned against us politically and translated this policy
by cutting economic ties and closing their markets. Russia has done the
complete opposite and continues to maintain good trading relations with us,
which has helped keep our economy functioning. Therefore in response to your
question, Russia’s supportive political stance and its commitment to
honor
the agreed military contracts without surrendering to American pressure have
substantially aided our economy, despite the negative bearings the economic
embargo - imposed by others, has had on the lives of the Syrian people.
>From a purely economic perspective, there are several agreements between
Syria
and Russia for various goods and materials. As for a loan from Russia, this
should be viewed as beneficial to both parties: for Russia it is an
opportunity for its national industries and companies to expand into new
markets, for Syria it provides some of the funding necessary to rebuild our
infrastructure and stimulate our economy. I reiterate that Russia’s
political
stance and support have been instrumental in restoring security and providing
the basic needs for the Syrian people.
Q13 Interviewer: Mr. President, do these contracts relate to fuel or basic
food requirements?
President Bashar al-Assad: Syrian citizens are being targeted through their
basic food, medical and fuel requirements. The Syrian government is working to
ensure these basic needs are available to all Syrians through trade agreements
with Russia and other friendly countries.
Q14 Interviewer: Returning to the situation in Syria and the current crisis.
We are aware that you successively issue amnesties. Do these amnesties include
rebels? And do some of them subsequently change sides to fight with the Armed
Forces?
President Bashar al-Assad: Yes, this is in fact the case. Recently, there has
been a marked shift, especially since the picture has become clearer to many
that what is happening in Syria is sheer terrorism. Many have come back into
the mainstream of civil life, surrendering their weapons and benefitting from
the amnesties to help them return to their normal lives. Most remarkably,
there are certain groups who have switched from fighting against the army to
fighting beside it; these people were either misled by what was propagated in
the media or were initially militarized under threats from the terrorists. It
is for this very reason that from the start of the crisis, the Syrian
government has adopted an open door policy to all those who wanted to U-turn
on the initial route they took against their country. Despite the fact that
many people in Syria were opposed to this policy, it has proven to be
effective and has helped alleviate some of the tension from the crisis.
Q15 Interviewer: Mr. President, Syria’s relations with several states
are
collapsing consecutively, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Who are your
true allies, and who are your enemies?
President Bashar al-Assad: The countries that support us are well known to
everyone: internationally - Russia and China, regionally - Iran. However, we
are starting to see a positive shift on the international arena. Certain
countries that were strongly against Syria have begun to change their
positions; others have started to reinitiate relations with us. Of course, the
changes in these countries’ positions do not constitute direct support.
In contrast, there are particular countries that have directly mobilized and
buttressed terrorism in Syria. Predominantly Qatar and Turkey in the first two
years; Qatar financed while Turkey provided logistical support by training
terrorists and streaming them into Syria. Recently, Saudi Arabia has replaced
Qatar in the funding role. To be completely clear and transparent, Saudi
Arabia has nothing but funding; those who only have money cannot build a
civilization or nurture it. Saudi Arabia implements its agenda depending on
how much money it commands.
Turkey is a different case. It is pitiful that a great country such as Turkey,
which bears a strategic location and a liberal society, is being manipulated
by a meagre amount of dollars through a Gulf state harboring a regressive
mentality. It is of course the Turkish Prime Minister who shoulders
responsibility for this situation and not the Turkish people with whom we
share a great deal of heritage and traditions.
Q16 Interviewer: Mr. President, what makes Russian-Syrian relations so strong?
Is it geopolitical interests? Or that they jointly share a struggle against
terrorism?
President Bashar al-Assad: There is more than one factor that forges
Syrian-Russian relations so strongly. First of which is that Russia has
suffered from occupation during World War II and Syria has been occupied more
than once. Secondly, since the Soviet era, Russia has been subjected to
continuous and repeated attempts of foreign intervention in its internal
affairs; this is also the case with Syria.
Thirdly but no less significantly is terrorism. In Syria, we understand well
what it means when extremists from Chechnya kill innocent civilians, what it
means to hold under siege children and teachers in Beslan or hold innocent
people hostage in Moscow’s theatre. Equally, the Russian people
understand
when we in Syria refer to the identical acts of terrorism they have suffered.
It is for this reason that the Russian people reject the Western narrative of
“good terrorists and bad terrorists.”
In addition to these areas, there are also the Syrian-Russian family ties I
mentioned earlier, which would not have developed without common cultural,
social and intellectual characteristics, as well as the geopolitical interests
we also spoke of. Russia, unlike the Europeans and the West, is well aware of
the consequences of destabilizing Syria and the region and the affect this
will have on the inexorable spread of terrorism.
All of these factors collectively shape the political stance of a great
country like Russia. Its position is not founded on one or two elements, but
rather by a comprehensive historical, cultural and intellectual perspective.
Q17 Interviewer: Mr. President, what will occur in Geneva 2, what are your
expectations from this conference?
President Bashar al-Assad: The objective of the Geneva conference is to
support the political process and facilitate a political solution to the
crisis. However, this cannot be accomplished before halting the foreign
support to terrorism. We expect that the Geneva conference would start
applying pressure on the countries supporting terrorism in Syria, to stop the
smuggling of weapons and the streaming of foreign terrorists into the country.
When this is achieved, political steps can be easily pursued, most imperative
of which is initiating a dialogue between Syrians to discuss the future
political system, the constitution
<http://dcclothesline.com/tag/constitution/> , various legislations and
others.
Interviewer: Thank you for your sincerity and for such a transparent
discussion during this interview.
Tim Brown is the Editor of Freedom Outpost <http://www.freedomoutpost.com>
and a regular contributor to The D.C. Clothesline.
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