Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
 RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony Public Inquiry >>
Promoting Human Rights in IrelandHuman Rights in Ireland >>
What Fresh Hell is This? The Climate and Nature Bill Mon Dec 23, 2024 09:00 | Paul Homewood
If you thought eco zealot Ed Miliband was bad, wait until you get a load of the Climate Change and Nature Bill, which seeks to turbocharge the Net Zero agenda and already has the support of 192 MPs. Paul Homewood has the skinny.
The post What Fresh Hell is This? The Climate and Nature Bill appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Daily Sceptic Christmas Appeal Mon Dec 23, 2024 07:00 | Toby Young
The Daily Sceptic's Christmas Appeal launches today ? an opportunity for readers to show their appreciation of the work we do. Remember, donating just ?5/month or ?50/year will give you access to a range of premium perks.
The post The Daily Sceptic Christmas Appeal appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Mon Dec 23, 2024 01:12 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Staff at ?100 Million Alan Turing Institute Attack ?Chaotic? Management Amid Diversity Row Sun Dec 22, 2024 19:00 | Richard Eldred
Staff at the ?100 million Alan Turing Institute have erupted in protest over a diversity row, accusing leadership of "tokenistic" hiring and sparking fears that the organisation's credibility is at risk.
The post Staff at ?100 Million Alan Turing Institute Attack ?Chaotic? Management Amid Diversity Row appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
?Our Irish Leaders Have Contributed to Hatred Against Jews? Sun Dec 22, 2024 17:00 | Richard Eldred
Ireland's Chief Rabbi has blasted the country's leaders for fuelling antisemitism, leaving Jewish children hiding their identities and many others afraid to wear symbols of their faith.
The post ?Our Irish Leaders Have Contributed to Hatred Against Jews? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?113 Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:42 | en
Pentagon could create a second Kurdish state Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:31 | en
How Washington and Ankara Changed the Regime in Damascus , by Thierry Meyssan Tue Dec 17, 2024 06:58 | en
Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Depar... Mon Dec 16, 2024 13:26 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?112 Fri Dec 13, 2024 15:34 | en Voltaire Network >>
|
Assad to RT: 'I'm not Western puppet - I have to live and die in Syria'
 international |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report
 Thursday November 08, 2012 15:01 by Elric
Vid at link. Full interview on Friday on RT.
In an exclusive interview with RT, Syrian President Bashar Assad said he will not leave Syria. Assad also spoke on the calls for armed foreign intervention in Syria, and the possible fallout on the country’s internal conflict and across the region.
“We are the last stronghold of secularism and stability in the region and coexistence, let’s say, it will have a domino effect that will affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific and you know the implication on the rest of the world,” Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad told RT in an exclusive interview that will air on Friday, November 9.
“I am not a puppet. I was not made by the West to go to the West or to any other country,” he said. “I am Syrian, I was made in Syria, I have to live in Syria and die in Syria,” Assad said during the interview.
Syria has been wracked by internal violence for the past 20 months. With the government and opposition failing to reach an agreement on a ceasefire, foreign nations are pressuring the Syrian president to step down, with some even calling for armed intervention in the war-torn country.
“I do not think the West is going [to intervene], but if they do so, nobody can tell what is next,” Assad said. “I think the price of this [foreign] invasion if it happened is going to be more than the whole world can afford.”
According to a Turkish official, Ankara has officially requested that NATO deploy Patriot missiles along the border with Syria, over fears that armed conflict could spill across the border.
The armed conflict in Syria has turned increasingly violent in recent months. Rebel forces have received significant financial, diplomatic and organizational support from countries like the US and Western-allied nations such as Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
However, the opposition has yet to overcome infighting and form a united government. The rebels’ Western allies have also become concerned by signs that radical Islamists are gaining strength and influence within the opposition.
You can watch the Syrian president’s interview in full on Friday on RT.
|
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Full transcript at link.
Russia Today's Sophie Shevardnadze recently interviewed Syria 's president Bashar Assad in Damascus . Following is the interview * , which has been slightly shortened without distorting Assad's arguments:
RT: [M]any people […] were convinced a year ago that you would not make it this far. Here again you are sitting in a newly renovated presidential palace and recording this interview. Who exactly is your enemy at this point?
BA: My enemy is terrorism and instability in Syria . This is our enemy in Syria . It is not about the people, it is not about persons. The whole issue is not about me staying or leaving. It is about the country being safe or not. So, this is the enemy we have been fighting as Syria .
RT: I have been here for the last two days and I had the chance to talk to a couple of people in Damascus . Some of them say that whether you stay or go at this point does not really matter anymore. What do you say about this?
BA: I think for the president to stay or leave is a popular issue. It is related to the opinion of some people and the only way can be done through the ballot boxes. So, it is not about what we hear. It is about what we can get through that box and that box will tell any president to stay or leave very simply.
RT: I think what they meant was that at this point you are not the target anymore; Syria is the target.
BA: I was not the target; I was not the problem anyway. The West creates enemies; in the past it was the communism then it became Islam, and then it became Saddam Hussein for a different reason. Now, they want to create a new enemy represented by Bashar. That's why they say that the problem is the president so he has to leave. That is why we have to focus of the real problem, not to waste our time listening to what they say.
RT: Do you personally still believe that you are the only man who can hold Syria together and the only man who can put an end to what the world calls a ‘civil war'?
BA: We have to look at it from two aspects. The first aspect is the constitution and I have my authority under the constitution. According to this authority and the constitution, I have to be able to solve the problem. But if we mean it that you do not have any other Syrian who can be a president, no, any Syrian could be a president. We have many Syrians who are eligible to be in that position. You cannot always link the whole country only to one person.
RT: But you are fighting for your country. Do you believe that you are the man who can put an end to the conflict and restore peace?
BA: I have to be the man who can do that and I hope so, but it is not about the power of the President; it is about the whole society. We have to be precise about this. The president cannot do anything without the institutions and without the support of the people. So, the fight now is not a President's fight; it is Syrians' fight. Every Syrian is involved in defending his country now.
Caption: Video Id: pdH4JKjVRyA Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video
What a breath of fresh air from the sickness and servility of RTÉ and the rest of the imperialist media lickspittles and running dogs. Al-Assad came across as a very honest man, who cares deeply for the people of Syria, and for the whole region. Well done RT, and Sophie Shevardnadze.
Assad is not a western stooge, if he was I doubt if Washington and Brussels would be involved in another attempt at regime change. The people should be left alone to solve their problems. Back in dear old Irlande, It is good to know that our Comrade Gilmore is following the (Washington) party line. What would Cde. Stalin say?
Eamonn Gilmore - Apostle to the Idiots. He makes the blind walk and the lame see. Will he face the Syrian Army in act? Of course not, he will skulk and snipe from underneath Hilary Clinton's skirt.
Dictators usually die under the pile of dead bodies they create to eke out that last few minutes of survival.
Sad that there are some foolish people still trying to say that President Bashar al-Assad is a dictator. He is anything but a dictator. The Syrian people voted on a new Constitution. A bigger percentage of the the people voted for that Constitution than voted for Obama as President of the USA. Part of the constitutional arrangements is that al-Assad will remain President until 2014, when Presidential elections will be held.
The reason the USA and its lapdogs are so desperate to destroy the Syrian state is that democracy is the last thing they want in Syria. They want to impose their Muslim Brotherhood puppets, as they did in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia.
General Sir David Richards, the UK’s most senior general, said Britain had in place contingency plans for a “very limited” response in the case of a worsening humanitarian situation in Syria within the next few months. He added that there could be British troops posted in countries neighboring Syria. Phillip Hammond, the UK Defense Secretary, also confirmed that the UK had not ruled out military intervention ...