Refugees leaving Syria due to terrorism: Assad
Date
9/17/2015 1:23:05 AM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula)Syrian President Bashar Al Assad (right) giving interview to Russian media outlets in Damascus yesterday.
Damascus: Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has chided Western nations for “crying” over refugees flooding into Europe claiming that their support for “terrorists” lies at the roots of his country’s crisis.
His remarks on the eve of the UN peace envoy’s visit to Damascus came as Australia said it had joined the US-led air war against the Islamic State group in Syria and France said it
would as well.
Washington meanwhile told close Damascus ally Moscow that Assad has no role in the war against IS in Syria and must step down to allow a political settlement.
Assad according to a transcript made available yesterday said refugees were leaving Syria “mainly because of the terrorists and because of the killing and second because of the results of terrorism”.
“When you have terrorism and you have the destruction of the infrastructure you won’t have the basic needs of living.
“So the West is crying for them and the West is supporting terrorists since the beginning of the crisis when it said that this was a peaceful uprising”
Assad said.
“If you are worried about them stop supporting terrorists.”
Damascus labels all those involved in the war against Assad as “terrorists” including Western-backed rebels.
Assad also said Iran’s support was essential for his regime in a conflict that has cost more than 240000 lives since 2011.
“Iran supports Syria and the Syrian people. It stands with the Syrian state politically economically and militarily.”
He said it was untrue that “Iran has sent an army or armed forces to Syria” but “it sends us military equipment and of course there is an exchange of military experts between Syria and Iran”.
Iranian media run regular reports on fighters killed in Syria saying they are volunteers helping to defend Shia holy sites in the country.
In Washington US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that Russia’s backing for Assad risked further escalating the conflict
In Sydney meanwhile Defence Minister Kevin Andrews said Australian warplanes had carried out their first strike against IS in Syria destroying an armoured personnel carrier on Monday.
The United States Canada Turkey and Gulf states have already been involved in strikes in Syria while France has been carrying out surveillance flights in preparation to do so as well.
In Paris Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France would extend its strikes to Syria “in the coming weeks”.
He said on Tuesday IS had made “very significant progress” in Syria and that if a large offensive underway in the northern province of Aleppo is successful it “would wipe out what we still call the Free Syrian Army or the national Syrian coalition or what is left of it.” AFP
Netanyahu to visit Russia over Syria
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Russia next week for talks with President Vladimir Putin on the expanding Russian military presence in Syria an Israeli official said yesterday.
Moscow has come under international pressure to explain its moves in Syria.
REUTERS