![\"President](\"http:\/\/sana.sy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/President-al-Assad-Sunday-Times-interview-2-300x150.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nQuestion 9<\/strong>:<\/strong> \u00a0 Do you think ISIS can be defeated by airstrikes alone?<\/p>\nYou cannot defeat ISIS through airstrikes alone\u00a0without cooperation with forces on the ground<\/span><\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 Did the coalition defeat them by airstrikes during the last year or so?\u00a0 It didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Did the Americans achieve anything from the airstrikes in Afghanistan?\u00a0 They achieved nothing.\u00a0 Did they achieve anything in Iraq since the invasion in 2003?\u00a0 Nothing.\u00a0 You cannot defeat ISIS through airstrikes alone, without cooperation with forces on the ground.\u00a0 You cannot defeat them if you do not have buy-in from the general public and the government.\u00a0 They cannot defeat ISIS by airstrikes; they are going to fail again.\u00a0 The reality is telling.<\/p>\nQuestion 10<\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0If the international coalition refuses, as it has so far, to coordinate with the Syrian Army, or with the local troops on the ground, what is your next plan?\u00a0 I mean do you have a plan B beyond what is going on?\u00a0 How do you plan to end this war?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 This coalition is illusive, it\u2019s virtual, because it has not made any achievements in fighting terrorism on the ground in Syria.\u00a0 Since an illusion doesn\u2019t exist, let\u2019s not waste time with the \u2018before and after.\u2019\u00a0 From the very beginning we started fighting terrorism irrespective of any global or world powers.\u00a0 Whoever wants to join us is welcome, and whether they join us or not, we are going to continue.\u00a0 This is our plan. It is the only plan we have and we will not change it.<\/p>\nQuestion 11<\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0 Are you calling on them to ask the Syrian government to coordinate and cooperate with the Syrian army and the Syrian air force in the fight against terrorists?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 We are very realistic.\u00a0 We know that they are not going to do so and that they don\u2019t have the will.\u00a0 This is more about international law than anything else.\u00a0 Is it possible that western governments, or regimes, don\u2019t know the basics of international law, that they don\u2019t understand the meaning of a sovereign state or that they haven\u2019t read the UN Charter?\u00a0 They have no respect for international law and we didn\u2019t ask for their cooperation.<\/p>\nQuestion 12:<\/strong>\u00a0 But would you like them to?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 If they are ready \u2013 serious and genuine \u2013 to fight terrorism, we welcome any country or government, any political effort.\u00a0 In that regard we are not radical, we are pragmatic.\u00a0 Ultimately, we want to resolve the situation in Syria and prevent further bloodshed.\u00a0 That is our mission.\u00a0 So, it\u2019s not about love or hate, accepting or not, it is about reality.\u00a0 Are they truly ready to help us fight terrorism, to stop terrorists coming into Syria through their surrogate governments in our region, or not?\u00a0 That is the real question.\u00a0 If they are ready, we will welcome them.\u00a0 This is not personal.<\/p>\nQuestion 13<\/strong>:\u00a0 <\/strong>Do you think it is possible for you, in Syria, and for your allies \u2013 Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and other allies – to defeat ISIS militarily; and if so, how long do you think it might take?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 The answer is based on two factors: our capabilities on the one hand, and the support the terrorists receive on the other.\u00a0 From our perspective, if you were to remove the support these groups get from various countries in our region and the West in general, it will take a matter of months to achieve our mission.\u00a0 It is not very complicated, the solution is very clear to us.\u00a0 However, these groups have unlimited support from these countries, which makes the situation drag on, makes it more complicated and harder to resolve.\u00a0 This means our mission will be achieved at a much higher price, which will ultimately be paid by Syrians.<\/p>\nQuestion 14<\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0 But there has already been a high price: over 200,000 people have been killed.<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 You are right, and that is a consequence of the support I referred to.<\/p>\nQuestion 15<\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0 But a lot of it is also blamed on the Syrian government and the Syrian use of force, sometimes indiscriminate or unnecessary force in certain areas that has brought about a large number of people killed.\u00a0 How do you respond to that?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 First, all wars are bad.\u00a0 There is no such thing as a good war.\u00a0 In every war there are always too many innocent casualties.\u00a0 These are only avoidable by bringing that war to an end.\u00a0 So it is self-evident that wars anywhere in the world will result in loss of life.\u00a0 But the rhetoric that has been repeated in the West for a long time ignores the fact that from day one terrorists were killing innocent people, it also ignores that fact that many of the people killed were supporters of the government and not vice versa.\u00a0 As a government, our only countermeasure against terrorists is to fight them.\u00a0 There is no other choice.\u00a0 We cannot stop fighting the terrorists who kill civilians for fear of being accused by the West of using force.<\/p>\nQuestion 16<\/strong>: Let us talk about the role of Russia.\u00a0 How important has the role of Russia been?\u00a0 Was Syria about to fall had Russia not intervened when it did at the time?<\/p>\nRussia and Iran’s support played important part in Syria’s steadfastness against terrorism<\/span><\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong> The Russian role is very important.\u00a0 It has had a significant impact on both the military and political arena in Syria.\u00a0 But to say that without this role, the government or the state would have collapsed, is hypothetical.\u00a0 Since the very beginning of the conflict in Syria, there were bets on the collapse of the government.\u00a0 First it was a few weeks, then it was a few months and then a few years.\u00a0 Every time it was the same wishful thinking.\u00a0 What is definite is that the Russian support to the Syrian people and government from the very beginning, along with the strong and staunch support of Iran, has played a very important part in the steadfastness of the Syrian state in the fight against terrorism.<\/p>\nQuestion 17:<\/strong> You mean the previous one, or the recent military intervention?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 No, the whole support; it is not only about their participation.\u00a0 Their support from the very beginning in all aspects: political, military and economic.<\/p>\nQuestion 18<\/strong>:<\/strong> How and why did Russian involvement come about now?\u00a0 And can you give us some details of the discussions between you and President Putin that brought it about?\u00a0 Who took the first step?\u00a0 Did you ask, or did they offer?<\/p>\nThe Russians\u00a0want to protect Syria, Iraq, the region, themselves and even Europe <\/span><\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 You will have to ask the Russians why they got involved.\u00a0 But from our perspective, since the Western coalition started in Syria, ISIS has expanded, al-Nusra has expanded and every other extremist and terrorist group has expanded and captured new territory in Syria and Iraq.\u00a0 The Russians clearly saw how this posed a threat to Syria, Iraq and the region in general, as well as to Russia and the rest of the world.\u00a0 We can see this as a reality in Europe today.\u00a0 If you read and analyse what happened in Paris recently and at Charlie Hebdo, rather than view them as separate incidences, you will realize something very important.\u00a0 How many extremists cells now exist in Europe?\u00a0 How many extremists did you export from Europe to Syria?\u00a0 This is where the danger lies.\u00a0 The danger is in the incubator.\u00a0 The Russians can see this very clearly.\u00a0 They want to protect Syria, Iraq, the region, themselves and even Europe.\u00a0 I am not exaggerating by saying they are protecting Europe today.<\/p>\nQuestion 19:<\/strong> So, did they come to you and say we would like to be involved? Or did you ask them: could you help us?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>It was an accumulative decision; it didn\u2019t happen by me having this idea or them having another.\u00a0 As you know, our relationship with the Russians goes back more than five decades, and they have always had military staff in Syria: call them experts or by any other name.\u00a0 This cooperation accelerated and increased during the crisis.\u00a0 Their teams are here and can see the situation real-time with us.\u00a0 This kind of decision doesn\u2019t start from the top down, but rather from the bottom up.\u00a0 There is a daily political and military discussion between our two countries.\u00a0 When it reached a presidential level, it was mature enough and ready for the decision to be made quickly.<\/p>\nQuestion 20: <\/strong>But there must have been a point when they said: we think, or with your agreement, we think that we should actually now physically get involved.<\/p>\nPresident Assad: <\/strong>Again, this was started at the lower levels.\u00a0 These officials jointly agreed that it was necessary to get involved and each party discussed it with their leaders.\u00a0 When it reached the stage of discussion between us, I mean between President Putin and I, we focused our discussions on the how.\u00a0 Of course this did not happen directly as we had not yet met and it\u2019s impossible to discuss these issues on the phone.\u00a0\u00a0 It was mediated through senior officials from both sides.\u00a0 That is what happened.\u00a0 In terms of procedure, I sent a letter to President Putin which included an invitation for their forces to participate.<\/p>\nQuestion 21:<\/strong>\u00a0 So you asked president Putin having been advised by your officials.<\/p>\nPresident Assad: <\/strong>\u00a0Exactly, after we reached that point I sent President Putin a formal letter and we released a statement announcing that we had invited them to join our efforts.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not forget that President Putin had already taken the step when he said he was willing to create a coalition.\u00a0 My response to this was that we are ready if you want to bring your forces to participate.<\/p>\nQuestion 22:<\/strong>\u00a0 So, what forces have been deployed? I am talking about Russian forces. There have been reports, for example, of a thousand ground troops plus Special Forces, is this correct? Is there anytime when you think that the Russians will be involved in Syria, not just by air but with ground troops as well?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 No, so far there is no such thing.\u00a0 There are no ground troops except for the personnel that they send with their military staff and airplanes to guard the airbase, and that is natural.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have any ground troops fighting with Syrian forces at all.<\/p>\nQuestion 23:\u00a0 <\/strong>And there is no plan for that?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>We have not discussed that yet, and I don\u2019t think we need it now, because things are moving in the right direction.\u00a0 The Russians may consider it with time or under different circumstances, but for the moment, this has not been discussed.<\/p>\nQuestion 24:<\/strong> There was a report, or a hint, that Syria might be receiving S-300 from the Russians, and the S-300 will allow Syria to protect its airspace. Is this something, for example, that Syria will use against the US-led coalition\u2019s air force, even if Britain was involved, since their warplanes are in Syrian skies, as you said earlier, without official or sovereign permission. As Syria will receive S-300, then will it use this to impose, if you want, protection of its skies and impose a way to tell the coalition that you have to actually directly deal with us, or coordinate with us on the ground?<\/p>\nWe will\u00a0use any means available to us to protect our airspace<\/span><\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>That is our right and it is only to be expected that we prevent any airplane from violating our airspace.\u00a0 That is completely legal.\u00a0 We are going to use any means available to us to protect our airspace.\u00a0 It is not about that armament in particular.\u00a0 Any air defense we have is for that reason.<\/p>\nQuestion 25:\u00a0 <\/strong>Do you have that defense at the moment?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>No. So far we don\u2019t have it.<\/p>\nQuestion 26:\u00a0 <\/strong>If you get that defense?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>Any defense systems we are going to have are for that purpose.\u00a0 If we are not going to protect our airspace, then why buy such armaments in the first place?\u00a0 That is self-evident.<\/p>\nQuestion 27: <\/strong>\u00a0And if you get it \u2026<\/p>\nPresident Assad: <\/strong>Not at the moment; it is not our priority now.\u00a0 Our priority is fighting the terrorists on the ground.\u00a0 This is the most important danger now.\u00a0 Of course we are keen to protect our airspace and prevent foreign interference in our internal affairs, militarily or other.\u00a0 But the priority now is to defeat the terrorists.\u00a0 By defeating the terrorists, some of whom are Syrians, we can move further in protecting the whole country from foreigners.\u00a0 It is a matter of priorities.<\/p>\nQuestion 28:\u00a0 <\/strong>But I meant about the actual coalition airplanes that are actually flying over Syria. So, that is not a priority either at the moment?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>No, not at the moment.\u00a0 At the moment the priority is fighting terrorism.<\/p>\nQuestion 29:\u00a0 <\/strong>If Saudi Arabia were to invite you for serious discussions on the future of Syria, would you accept such an invitation? Or have relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia been severely severed that you would never consider that?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>No, there is nothing impossible in politics.\u00a0 It is not about whether I accept or not, but rather about the policies of each government.\u00a0 What are their policies towards Syria? Are they going to keep supporting the terrorists or not? Are they going to continue playing their dangerous games in Syria, Yemen and other places?\u00a0 If they are ready and willing to change their policies, especially with regard to Syria, we don\u2019t have a problem meeting with them.\u00a0 So it is not about the meeting or whether we go or not, the issue is their approach to what is happening in Syria.<\/p>\nQuestion 30:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you expect any results from the talks in Vienna?\u00a0 And what would be the shape of any possible deal that you see coming out of Vienna?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>The most important clause in the Vienna communique is that the Syrians should come together to discuss the future of Syria.\u00a0 Everything else is an accessory.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have that main part, the accessories are of no use.\u00a0 So, the only solution is for us to come together as Syrians.\u00a0 Vienna itself is a meeting to announce intentions; it is not the actual process of siting down and discussing the future.\u00a0 So, the question is not what results from Vienna, but rather what we Syrians are able to achieve when we sit down together.<\/p>\nQuestion 31:<\/strong>\u00a0 But do you realize that some of the opposition\u2019s leaders, and I\u2019m talking about opposition figures who have been against taking up arms and what have you, but are also afraid of coming to Syria, because the moment they land in Syria, they will be arrested by the security officers and put in prison. And it has happened to others.<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 No, it has never happened.\u00a0 There is an opposition in Syria, and they are free to do whatever they want.<\/p>\nQuestion 32:\u00a0 <\/strong>No, I mean the external opposition. For example, somebody like Haitham Mannaa, cannot come back.<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 We have clearly stated that when there is a gathering in Syria, which they want to attend, we guarantee that they will not be arrested or held.\u00a0 We have said this many times.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have any problems in this regard.<\/p>\n![\"President](\"http:\/\/sana.sy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/President-al-Assad-Sunday-Times-interview-1-300x150.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nQuestion 33:<\/strong>\u00a0 Now, Saudi Arabia invited 65 figures, including opposition leaders, even rebel commanders, businessmen, religious figures for a meeting in Saudi Arabia to present a united front in preparation for the January Vienna talks. Yet, the Syrian government, which is the other major element in this whole thing for the future of Syria, has not been seen to be involved with the opposition. Are you conducting any talks with the opposition? Have you reached any consensus with them?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>We have direct channels with some opposition groups; but others cannot communicate with us because they are not allowed to do so by the governments that control them.\u00a0 From our perspective, we are open for discussions with every peaceful opposition party.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have any problems.\u00a0 With regards to the meeting in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi\u2019s have been supporting terrorism directly, publically and explicitly.\u00a0 That meeting will not change anything on the ground.\u00a0 Before the meeting and after the meeting Saudi Arabia has been supporting terrorists and will continue to do so.\u00a0 It is not a benchmark or a critical juncture to discuss.\u00a0 It will not change anything.<\/p>\nQuestion 34:\u00a0 <\/strong>Do you see that anytime, in the future, that in order to protect Syria, or in order to save Syria, or to get the Syria process moving, that you might see yourself sitting with certain groups, one group, or certain groups, that perhaps now you deem terrorist, but in the future, it might be feasible that you would agree to negotiate with them because it would do well for the future?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>We already have; since the very beginning one of the pillars of our policy, was to start a dialogue with all parties involved in the conflict, whether they were in Syria or not.\u00a0 We negotiated with many terrorist groups, not organizations – to be very precise, who wanted to give up their armaments, and return to normal life.\u00a0 These negotiations led to many amnesties being issued and has proven to be very successful in several areas.\u00a0 Furthermore, some of these fighters have joined the Syrian Army and are now fighting with our forces.\u00a0 So yes, we are sitting down with those who committed illegal acts in Syria, whether political or military, to negotiate settlements on the condition that they give up their arms and return to normal life.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t mean that we negotiate with terrorist organizations like ISIS, al-Nusra and others. This is what I meant by groups, those who want out of the fight, regret their choices and want to have their lives back.<\/p>\nQuestion 35:<\/strong>\u00a0 The rebels call them barrel bombs. You refuse to refer to them as barrel bombs. Irrespective of the name, these were indiscriminate. Do you accept that Syria used indiscriminate bombs in some areas, which resulted in the death of many civilians?<\/p>\nPresident Assad:\u00a0 <\/strong>Let us suppose that this part of the propaganda is true, which it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 But for the sake of argument, let us ask the same question regarding the different attacks committed by the Americans and the British with their state-of-the-art airplanes and missiles in Afghanistan and in Iraq, not only after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but also during the first Gulf war in 1990.\u00a0 How many civilians and innocent people were killed by those airstrikes with these very high precision missiles?\u00a0 They killed more civilians than terrorists.\u00a0 So, the issue is not these so-called barrel bombs and this evil president killing the good people who are fighting for freedom.\u00a0 This romantic image is not the case.\u00a0 It is about how you use your armaments, rather than the difference between so called barrel bombs and high precision missiles.\u00a0 It is about how you use these weapons, what kind of information you have and your intention.\u00a0 Do we have the will to kill innocent people?\u00a0 How is that possible when the state is defending them?\u00a0 By doing so, we are pushing them towards the terrorists.\u00a0 If we want to kill people, for any reason, innocent people or civilians, that will play directly into the hands of the terrorists.\u00a0 And this is against our interests.\u00a0 Are we going to shoot ourselves in the foot? That is not realistic and not logical.\u00a0 This propaganda cannot be sold anymore.<\/p>\nQuestion 36: <\/strong>Mr President, the final question. As president of the country, and you always lead the military and everything. Do you, even if by default, not bear responsibility for some of the things that happened in Syria?<\/p>\nPresident Assad: <\/strong>I\u2019ve been asked this question many times especially by western media and journalists.\u00a0 The aim of the question is to corner me between two answers: if I were to say I was responsible, they would say look the President bears responsibility for everything that happened, if I were to say I am not responsible, they would say this is not true, you are the president, how can you not be responsible.<\/p>\nQuestion 37:<\/strong>\u00a0 Because you are the head, like in a family \u2026<\/p>\nPresident Assad:<\/strong>\u00a0 Let me continue, that was only an introduction to my answer.\u00a0 It is very simple.\u00a0 Since the very beginning, we built our policy around two pillars, engaging in dialogue with everyone, and fighting terrorism everywhere in Syria.\u00a0 Now, if you want to talk about the responsibility, you have to discuss many aspects of the conflict, and the reason why we are here today in this difficult and dire situation in Syria.\u00a0 If I am to claim responsibility, do I also claim responsibility for asking the Qataris to pay the terrorists money?\u00a0 Or for the Saudis to fund their activities?\u00a0 Or for western governments allowing their terrorists to come to Syria?\u00a0 Do I claim responsibility for asking western governments to offer a political umbrella to those terrorists and label them as moderates?\u00a0 Or for the western embargos on the Syrian people?\u00a0 This is how we have to discuss it.\u00a0 We cannot simply say, that he takes responsibility or not.\u00a0 We have to talk about every part; we have to differentiate between the policy decisions and the practices, between the strategy and the tactics.\u00a0 So, it is very complicated to evaluate it.\u00a0 Additionally, if you want to evaluate who bears responsibility in Syria, it could happen at the end of the war, when you can investigate the whole story before, during and after.<\/p>\nInterviewer:<\/strong>\u00a0 Mr President, thank you very much.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Damascus, SANA – President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to The Sunday Times in which he said Britain and France have neither the will nor the vision on how to defeat terrorism and their airstrikes against ISIS will yield no results, but will rather be illegal and harmful in that they will help in spreading …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63559,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[115,429,22,106,51],"tags":[1348,1138,8077],"class_list":["post-63558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-local","category-presidency-of-arabic-syrian-republic","category-slide","category-syria-and-the-world","category-interviews","tag-interview","tag-president-al-assad","tag-the-sunday-times"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63558"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.sana.sy\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"President](\"http:\/\/sana.sy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/President-al-Assad-Sunday-Times-interview-3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n